Southeastern’s undergraduate nursing program has been recognized by the Louisiana Nurses Foundation with the Nightingale Award as the Nursing School of the Year. The awards recognize the achievements of the nursing program’s students and faculty.
This is the fifth time Southeastern has been recognized with a Nightingale Award for the undergraduate nursing program. The competition is evaluated by a panel of out-of-state judges who review the nominations submitted by nursing programs throughout the state. The Nightingale Awards are the foundation’s highest recognition for quality, service, commitment and excellence among Louisiana registered nurses.
Ann Carruth, dean of the College of Nursing and Health Sciences, said nursing programs are evaluated for the award by a wide range of criteria, including accreditation status, innovations in education and teaching, nursing examination passage rate, and comments solicited from graduates, faculty and area employers.
School of Nursing Department Head Ken Tillman attributes the nursing faculty and teaching resources to the ultimate success of the undergraduate program’s students and graduates.
“Our nursing faculty are dedicated to the success of our students,” he said. “Teaching resources, such as great instructional spaces, skills practice labs and patient simulation labs, both on campus and at the Baton Rouge Center, are another top feature of our program.”
“The nursing program’s clinical affiliation agreements with leading healthcare systems located on the Northshore and in the Baton Rouge region are another advantage for students,” Tillman explained. “Our nursing students have an opportunity to learn and apply their knowledge by working side-by-side with some of the best nurses and healthcare professionals anywhere.”
Southeastern’s nursing school also operates a completely online RN to BSN degree program that allows registered nurses with an associate’s degree or nursing diploma to complete courses leading to a bachelor of science in nursing degree.
In addition to being named Nursing School of the Year, Southeastern was also recently nationally and locally ranked by EduMed for its nursing program. Southeastern ranked number 1 in the state in Best Online Nursing Programs, number 4 nationally in Most Affordable Online Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner Programs, and number 31 nationally in Top Nurse Practitioner Programs – Four Year Schools.
