The Nursing and Allied Health building at Sowela Technical Community College. (Photo courtesy of sowela.edu)

Sowela Technical Community College’s Associate of Science degree in nursing has achieved its initial accreditation from the Commission of Education in Nursing. 

Wendi Palermo, dean of the School of Nursing and Allied Health, said the accreditation means that Sowela’s program has been recognized as being the “gold standard” for the training of registered nurses.  

Potential employers can have “confidence in their hiring” of May 2018 graduates knowing that Sowela registered nurses have been prepared with top-notch curriculum and professors in a facility that is relevant and cutting edge, Palermo said. 

Sowela’s H.C. Drew Nursing & Allied Health Building is a spacious and state-of-the-art learning facility for health students to access real-life simulations with cadavers, laboratories and video recordings of student/patient interaction, she said.  

Upon graduation, students will need to pass the National Council Licensure Examination for registered nurses and will then be ready to start working in their field.  

Palermo said the earning of the national accreditation is a strong sign of students’ success on the exam because through the accreditation process Sowela had to demonstrate that its students were “hitting and exceeding” many of the same indicators that will be present on the exam. 

Sowela’s associate program takes 21⁄2 years to complete, and Darlene Hoffpauir, institutional advancement coordinator, said the length of the program is especially appealing to nontraditional students, who often desire to start working sooner than a four-year program would allow.  

For those interested in a four-year degree, Sowela has a “concurrent model” with McNeese State University’s Bachelors of Science in nursing program, and students enrolled in the concurrent track can continue their education at McNeese once earning their associate degree.  

Sowela is also offering a regionally accredited surgical technology program starting June at its Morgan Smith Campus in Jennings.