Last February, Spoon River College welcomed a site visit team from the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN) as part of the accreditation review for the college’s Nursing Program. This past week, the college received official notification that the program has been granted continuing accreditation through Spring 2033.
“This achievement reflects the dedication and hard work of our nursing director, Becky Sherwood, along with our outstanding nursing faculty and staff—Sarah Strode, Tonja Huff, Sarah Etter, Hannah Stinocher, Sarah Bowton, and Cassidy Miller—and the unwavering support of the entire college community,” said Melissa Miller, dean of career and workforce education at Spoon River College.
The site visit included tours of both the Macomb and Canton campuses, as well as roundtable discussions and meetings involving administrators, general education faculty, staff from several departments, and students.
The Associate Degree in Nursing program at Spoon River College is a two-year program that offers the option of completing a practical nursing certificate at the end of the first year, a unique ladder program that sets it apart from other nursing programs.
“Students who complete the first year (the LPN certificate) along with an additional five-week course and then successfully pass their LPN boards can begin working as an LPN, enabling them to get real world working experience while finishing the second year, which prepares students to take the RN exam,” said Sherwood. “It also benefits students who don’t want to complete the second year or may not be able to. Sometimes life throws up barriers and if a student can’t immediately finish the second year, they can still have a nursing career.”
In addition, students who complete their RN coursework at Spoon River College will have the opportunity to transfer into the newly developed Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BNS) program at the Graham Hospital College of Nursing. Graham Health System invested $250,000 in Spoon River College’s new Macomb campus to fund the development of the Graham Health System Nursing and Allied Health Learning Lab, reinforcing an academic partnership that creates a clear pathway from RN certification to a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) at the Graham Hospital College of Nursing.