Limestone Nursing Program Earns Rigorous CCNE Accreditation

Limestone University’s online nursing program, which began in the fall of 2019, has now earned its accreditation by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education.

Limestone’s Registered Nurse to Bachelor of Science in Nursing program (RN-BSN) is designed to empower students to take on professional roles in nursing in a wide variety of settings. It allows already licensed nurses to continue their education and complete their undergraduate degrees. The University graduated its first cohort of nursing students in May of this year.

Officially recognized by the U.S. Secretary of Education as a national accreditation agency, the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE) serves the public interest by assessing and identifying programs that engage in effective educational practices. As a voluntary, self-regulatory process, CCNE accreditation supports and encourages continuing self-assessment by nursing programs and supports continuing growth and improvement of collegiate professional education and nurse residency programs.

“We are so proud that Limestone’s RN-BSN program has achieved this important milestone,” said Dr. Amber Williams, Limestone’s Director of Nursing. “The Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education is considered the voice of academic nursing in America. Our nursing program, along with Limestone’s Academic Affairs team, worked diligently on the CCNE accreditation process. This accreditation now enables us to attract even more prospective students because it indicates our students take part in a rigorous program that meets the highest standards of nursing.”

Limestone’s RN-BSN nursing program is enrolling students for its next cohort. To learn more, visit www.limestone.edu/nursing.

For decades, the leaders in the field of nursing have encouraged associate's and diploma-level nurses to pursue a Bachelor's of Science in Nursing (BSN) degree. Research has proven that nurses with higher education experience improved job satisfaction, improved patient outcomes, fewer medication errors, and decreased mortality rates.

The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC), which is the regional body for the accreditation of degree-granting higher education institutions in the Southern states, approved Limestone’s RN-BSN program prior to its inception in 2019.

Limestone’s program provides a flexible and affordable pathway for RNs to build on previously acquired knowledge and experience to complete their undergraduate education. It is designed in a manner so that students can complete the program within two years.

In the Upstate of South Carolina, Williams noted that there is an urgent need for BSN degrees. She said that Nursing has long been the number one requested major in the area. With a shortage across the nation, Williams said more nurses are needed to comply with the influx of healthcare needs. BSN nurses are able to meet the demands of a dynamic healthcare environment with competence in critical thinking, leadership management, professional communication, ethical decision making, health promotion, cultural sensitivity, resourcefulness, scientific reasoning, and knowledge application.

Williams has been a nurse for 20 years. Educated at the University of South Carolina, she holds two baccalaureate degrees in biology and nursing, a Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) as a family nurse practitioner, and a Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) in Organizational Leadership. Before coming to Limestone, she served as nurse faculty influencing many students and nurses, coordinated clinical opportunities throughout the state, initiated successful distance and online programs, and led the construction of a high-fidelity simulation lab.