National League for Nursing Certified Nurse Educator Program Receives NCCA Accreditation

In Recognizing Excellence in Advanced Specialty Role of Academic Nurse Educator, Accrediting Body Signals Significance of CNE^cm Within Higher Education

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

New York, NY — May 20, 2009 — The National League for Nursings highly regarded certification program for academic nurse educators, launched in 2005 to confirm nursing education as an advanced specialty area of practice, has been accredited by the National Commission for Certifying Agencies (NCCA). This means that the NLN has joined an elite group of organizations, representing more than 200 programs, to have received and maintained NCCA accreditation, a prized reflection of professional stature and acceptance.

Accreditation by NCCA, the accrediting body of the National Organization for Competency Assurance (NOCA), is granted for a five-year period, following thorough review and evaluation of a programs compliance with the NCCA Standards for the Accreditation of Certification Programs. The standards, first created in 1977 and updated in 2003, ensure that certification programs in a wide range of fields adhere to modern standards of practice for the certification industry. The Washington, DC-based NCCA and NOCA both exist to protect public health, safety, and welfare.

Experienced faculty who earn the NLNs Certified Nurse Educator (CNE) credential through a rigorous examination communicate to students, peers, and the academic and health care communities that they meet the highest standards of excellence in nursing education.

"Certified nurse educators are leaders and role models within the institutions they serve," asserted NLN CEO Dr. Beverly Malone. "And now nurse educators can take even greater pride in the credential, knowing it carries national accreditation. The NLN also hopes that this badge of honor by the NCCA will translate into higher salaries and other benefits like tenure and promotions due certified nurse educators who bring the specialized knowledge and advanced practice skills of their discipline into the classroom."

"The art of teaching is science unto itself," added Eileen Zungolo, EdD, RN, CNE, FAAN, ANEF, chair of the NLN Certification Commission and dean of the Duquesne University School of Nursing in Pittsburgh. "This accreditation is further affirmation that the role of nurse educator is an advanced practice role in the profession of nursing."

Since the unveiling of the program in fall 2005, 1,552 nurse educators representing all 50 states and the District of Columbia have become CNEs. Certified nurse educators reflect the spectrum of their academic colleagues in the United States. They hold masters and doctoral degrees; are full, associate, and assistant professors; and teach in all kinds of nursing programs — baccalureate and higher, associate degree, diploma and LPN.

Concluded NLN president Dr. Elaine Tagliareni, "The NLN continually seeks to bring recognition to the specialized knowledge, skills, and abilities of the academic nurse educator; the CNE credential provides a means for faculty to demonstrate their expertise in that role and gives added value to nursing education as a specialty area of practice."

*Data reflect those who took the examination September 28, 2005 through March 31, 2009.

Reporters/Editors: For interview opportunities, please call Karen R. Klestzick, NLN chief communications officer, at 212-812-0376 or email kklestzick@nln.org.

Dedicated to excellence in nursing, the National League for Nursing is the premier organization for nurse faculty and leaders in nursing education. The NLN offers faculty development, networking opportunities, testing services, nursing research grants, and public policy initiatives to its 30,000 individual and 1,200 institutional members who represent all types of nursing education programs.

NOCAs mission is to promote excellence in competency assurance for practitioners in all occupations and professions. NCCA was created in 1977 by NOCA as a commission whose mission is to help ensure the health, welfare, and safety of the public through the accreditation of a variety of certification programs/organizations that assess professional competence. Visit www.noca.org.