Nursing program to be accredited ‘with high honors’

PUHI — Some of the areas of excellence at the Kaua‘i Community College will be shared across the nation, said Char Ono, director of the KCC Nursing program.

Ono said following the accreditation visit by representatives of the National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission, the KCC program was given a preliminary approval by the representatives during their exit interview.

“There are two more stages to go, but they said we should get our accreditation,” Ono said.

But what makes this approval, the fourth for the KCC program since the college started its Career Ladder Program in 1980, special is that the representatives are taking back some of the KCC accomplishments and sharing it with other schools in the nation, said Ono, who is in her fourth year as director for the program.

“Following the three-day review, the faculty and students learned that the accreditation team will recommend KCC for the highest level of recognition that the National League for Nursing awards,” said Rick Carmichael, the former director of Nursing at KCC, in an e-mail. “This recommendation follows the same high level of recognition consistently achieved by the nursing program over the past 30 years.”

KCC Chancellor Helen Cox was thrilled with the news as well.

“This is a great honor and one that the (KCC) Nursing Program has achieved previously as well,” Cox said in an e-mail. “Char One and Tammie Napoleon did the lion’s share of the work on the self-study that precedes the accreditation team’s visit.”

Ono said accreditation is a voluntary, self-regulatory process by which non-governmental associations recognize educational institutions or programs that have been found to meet or exceed standards and criteria for educational quality.

“It is voluntary, but we do it for the benefit of the students,” Ono said.

Some of those benefits include helping students with licensing and entitlements, helping employers seeking graduates who are competent practitioners, facilitates transfer of student credit and enables student eligibility for funding support from federal and state agencies.

“Each year, we evaluate our program from our philosophy to resources to student outcomes and consider ways to improve,” Ono said. “This formed the basis for our self-study report which took us one year to write.”

During the accreditation team’s visit, Ono said the representatives scrutinized everything, speaking to students, staff, facilities staff, and even holding a public hearing where former students and patients had an opportunity to speak with the team.

Ono said the KCC Nursing program has its roots in 1958 when the first Licensed Practical Nursing program was started only to end due to inadequate facilities.

The nursing program was restarted in 1969 with the associate program being added in 1973.

The Career Ladder Program was added in 1980 and KCC received its first eight-year accreditation in 1985. That was renewed in 1993 for another eight years and again in 2001.

Carmichael said what this means is that graduates of the KCC Nursing program receive the highest level of training available right here on Kaua‘i.

Ono said currently, the KCC Nursing program has 32 First Level students and 27 Second Level students with a short wait list.

She said the KCC Nursing program is unique for students wanting to enter the nursing profession.

“Other schools’ nursing programs are highly competitive and if a student is not accepted, they need to reapply,” she said. “At KCC, if a student is not accepted because of class size, that qualified student is placed on a wait list and does not have to reapply. Future classes are drawn from student applications and from the wait list as well.”

Carmichael said, “The next time you, or a loved one needs a nurse, be assured that if he or she graduated from KCC, you will be receiving care from a professional nurse educated for excellence.”

•Dennis Fujimoto, photographer and staff writer, can be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 253) or dfujimoto@kauaipubco.com