Accreditation for Undergraduate and Graduate Programs

The National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission (NLNAC), located at 51 Broadway, New York, NY 10006, is an informational resource for the nursing program (e.g. tuition, fees and length of programs). The telephone number is 1-800-669-9656.

The Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE) is located at One Dupont Circle, NW, Suite 530, Washington, D.C. 20036-1120. The telephone number is 202-887-6791.

Nursing Grants

Advanced Education Nursing Traineeship Grant for Master of Science in Nursing Program

• Project Directors
  Eda L. Mikolaj, Ph.D., R.N., C.N.S.; Barbara Schaffner, Ph.D., R.N., C.N.P.

• Purpose
  To increase the numbers of advanced practice nurses who provide health services to diverse underserved populations in rural counties, central and Appalachia Ohio. These nurses are located in counties that are in depressed areas of Ohio where poverty and unemployment still contribute to a variety of health care problems and intensify the need for quality health care. These nurses also remain in their respective localities and are helping to improve the health status of the residents in their communities.

• Serving the Underserved
  Students enrolled in one of the four MSN majors may choose a concentration consisting of three online courses focusing on the Advanced Practice Nurse Educator role. This Advanced Practice Nurse Educator concentration is also offered as a post-masters program.
  
  Many of the students at distant sites receive little or no educational financial support from their employers. These students have a strong need for traineeship funds to offset the costs of pursuing a masters degree in nursing. The DON is very committed to continuing with distance education to increase access to health care providers and services to underserved residents living in rural Ohio counties. This project is important to meet our mission and goals so that there is some financial support for rural nurses who are pursuing a graduate degree in nursing.

• Our Commitment
  The Otterbein College Department of Nursing (DON) is committed to preparing health professionals to serve the medically underserved. The DON offers the graduate nursing courses, via interactive video and online courses, to rural nurses living in 23 Appalachian counties in Ohio and West Virginia. 24% of the nurses enrolled in the MSN program are from rural Ohio. Educational opportunities for nurses through distance education addresses barriers of access and disparity in health care for residents of rural central and Appalachia Ohio.
  
  Throughout their graduate education at Otterbein, these distant site students have clinical experiences in hospitals, office or clinic settings in rural central and Appalachia Ohio. These nurses continue to reside in these underserved areas after graduation and provide the residents increased access to advanced practice nursing health care providers. 18 (23%) of the currently enrolled 78 nursing graduate students have signed commitments to practice in HPSAs after graduation. 13 (33%) of the 39 June 2007 MSN graduates live and work in rural underserved areas of Ohio.

• Project Director
  Barbara Schaffner, Ph.D., R.N., C.N.P.

• Purpose
  This project, Supporting and Helping Innovative Nursing Education (SHINE) helps to prepare post-licensure nurses to assume the role of the nurse educator through an accelerated RN to MSN program.
• About the Grant
  Otterbein College will collaborate with Central Ohio Technical College and partner healthcare institutions to prepare students through mentored clinical immersion experiences in the role of the nurse educator. Expansion of current technology will enhance the clinical and educational experience for the SHINE student, and with the support of a dedicated Instructional Designer will allow the students and faculty to integrate the technology into new teaching pedagogies.
  
  An additional faculty member at Otterbein will allow for the modification, revision and development of new courses to a distant or online format allowing SHINE students to complete much of their education within their own geographic setting. The addition of a Clinical Coordinator will help to individualize the clinical immersion experiences for the SHINE students through educational projects at partner healthcare or academic institutions.