February 27, 2023 – Minnesota West Community & Technical College AS Nursing Program hosted a site review for continued accreditation of its associate degree nursing program by the ACEN (Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing) on the Worthington Campus.

Despite the blizzard and snowy weather last week, the program had a successful peer-reviewer evaluation, who gave several compliments to all the students, nursing faculty, student services staff, and leadership at the college.

Concluding their visit, the AS Nursing Program was recommended for continuing reaccreditation by the ACEN peer reviewers.

Dr. Dawn Gordon, Dean of Science and Nursing, said "The support for nursing by clinical partners, the strong reputation of the program, and the quality of the program curriculum was shared by the peer reviewers and led to their recommendation in the first step of the three-step approval process of continuing reaccreditation."

In order to receive accreditation, institutions must apply for and undergo a comprehensive review process that evaluates the quality and effectiveness of its nursing education program on multiple levels. The peer review audit evaluates specific standards and criteria, including the program's mission, faculty, students, curriculum, resources, and outcomes. ACEN recognizes programs that have been found to meet or exceed standards and criteria for educational quality.

The Minnesota West AS Nursing Program has graduated thousands of nursing students who practice locally, nationally, and globally. Accreditation also assists in the further improvement of the program as related to resources invested, processes followed, and results achieved.

The college’s next ACEN site visit for program accreditation is planned for Spring 2030.