| The Board of Trustees of State Institutions of Higher Learning (Board) is empowered by the State Legislature (Miss. Code [1991 Supp.] § 37-129-1, et seq.) and required to establish by rules and regulations and promulgate uniform standards for accreditation of Schools of Nursing in the State of Mississippi in so far as concerns the eligibility of graduates of such schools to take the examination prescribed by law to become registered nurses authorized to practice the profession of nursing as registered nurses in Mississippi, and in so far as concerns student nurses attending such schools being eligible to participate in any student nurse scholarship program or other program of assistance now existing or hereafter established by legislative enactment.
The Board is also required to issue to such Schools of Nursing upon an annual basis certificates of accreditation as may be proper under such standards.
The Board, in recognizing that each unit in nursing offering nursing degree programs has individual characteristics and goals, maintains that each shall implement its own philosophy, purposes, and objectives. All programs in nursing shall be based on sound educational principles under the guidance of a competent faculty. The total program of nursing education shall meet the required standards of accreditation as prescribed by the Board.
Mississippi nursing schools (units in nursing) should prepare students for nursing careers according to the type of program that they offer. Rigid conformity to a specific and fixed curriculum is not expected. Rather, the Board approves programs which are of superior caliber and encourages creative and intelligent experimentation based on sound principles.
In carrying out its statutory responsibilities with regard to nursing degree program accreditation, it is the intent of the Board to ensure that all such programs in the State under its jurisdiction meet State accreditation standards in a consistent manner. Many changes have occurred in nursing education since Mississippi’s nursing school accreditation law was enacted. The number of programs has increased and the quality of nursing education has improved substantially. All nursing degree programs in Mississippi not only meet mandatory State accreditation standards, but also have achieved or are in the process of achieving voluntary accreditation by one or both of two national, non-profit accrediting bodies-NLNAC and/or CCNE. The Board recognizes that NLNAC and/or CCNE accreditation for Mississippi nursing programs, although not mandatory, is desirable because of the quality of NLNAC and CCNE standards, emphasis placed on outcomes, and importance in the national marketplace for recruiting faculty and students. |
