Malone's BSN program receives renewed approval from Ohio Board of Nursing

The Ohio Board of Nursing (OBN) recently confirmed that Malone University’s pre-licensure Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) program site visit is complete and has met the requirements necessary for renewal. In order for students in the traditional 4-year program to be eligible to become registered nurses (RN), by taking the NCLEX, ongoing program approval is necessary every five years. Malone’s program has been approved since its founding in 1986 and the OBN’s last site visit occurred at Malone in 2015. 

“We are so proud that, yet again, Malone’s BSN program has proven to demonstrate compliance with all rules that govern nursing programs so that we can continue providing the top-notch nurse education for which Malone is known,” said Debra Lee, associate professor and chair of nursing. 

A site visit that would typically occur in-person needed to be facilitated virtually this year, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, so documentation demonstrating Malone’s compliance with the OBN’s regulations was submitted electronically and reviewed before the virtual meetings with key administrators, faculty, and OBN representatives could occur. Documentation included faculty qualifications, course syllabi, contracts with partner clinical agencies, and student and faculty evaluations. 

“Thank you to Carrie Stroup, our BSN Program Director, as well as Liz Weingart, Michelle Moulin, and our nursing faculty, for their tireless work throughout this whole process,” Lee said. “Our students also had an active role in the visit through their virtual session with our reviewer and she was impressed with their poise, grasp of the curriculum, and awareness of how our faculty prepare them for nursing practice—just as I knew she would be! These occasions remind me that it is easy to see each faculty, staff, and student’s abiding belief in and commitment to Christ-centered excellence in nursing education. Malone’s BSN is truly special.”