NY’s Plaza College Nursing Degree Program Granted National Accreditation

On the heels of a study finding 100% of New York State hospitals reporting unmitigable nursing shortages, Queens-based Plaza College was awarded a prestigious national accreditation for its Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree program.

The Plaza College School of Nursing received formal accreditation from the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE), recognized by the U.S. Secretary of Education as one of the most rigorous programmatic accreditation programs in the U.S.

The CCNE accreditation process is the culmination of years of preparation, including developing a self-study report and a three-day site visit during which CCNE representatives meet with students, staff, and clinical partners to determine the program’s effectiveness at meeting all outlined standards.

“To achieve CCNE accreditation illustrates the remarkable quality of the programs at Plaza College. Our esteemed faculty and I are extremely proud of the level of attention and access to advanced resources our program provides our students. Coupled with the clinical rotations at our affiliate hospitals and healthcare centers, the nursing education experience at Plaza is top-notch,” says Dr. Abdur “Raheem” Nizar-Moses, PhD/MSN/RN, the program’s Chief Nurse Administrator and Dean of Nursing at Plaza College.

Each Plaza nursing program cohort is made up of 40 students enrolled every other semester. Queens Borough President Donovan Richards recognized its ethnically diverse student body at its 2021 ribbon-cutting ceremony as “a true representation of the borough, which is one of the most ethnically diverse urban areas in the world.”

On the second floor of the College’s Queens Boulevard campus, the unique Center for Healthcare Simulation includes an advanced suite of four training laboratories featuring innovative simulation technology that allows students to practice skills on medical manikins that mimic emergency room, labor and delivery, elder care, and other high-risk, patient-hospital care scenarios. The Plaza Nursing students use these skills to complement their studies with clinical rotations at specialized New York region healthcare hospital systems, including:

• Jamaica Hospital Medical Center
• Catholic Health
• Flushing Hospital Medical
• NYC Health + Hospitals Corporation
• Mount Sinai Health System
• NY Presbyterian
• St. Mary’s Hospital for Children
• Gurwin Jewish Nursing & Rehabilitation Center
• Little Neck Care Center

In April 2023, Plaza’s first nursing program cohort completed their program of study while achieving a 90% graduation rate and National Council Licensure Exam (NCLEX) pass rates of 84.62% first-time and 100% overall. Completion of an approved program and passing scores on the NCLEX are required to become a Registered Nurse in the State of New York.

Dire National-State Nursing Shortage

An analysis published last year in the Journal Health Affairs found that the number of registered nurses in the U.S. fell by 115,220 from 2020 to 2021, the most significant decline in 40 years.

In New York, this has led to dire consequences for hospitals as, according to The Healthcare Association of New York State, 100 percent of hospitals responding to a survey said they had nursing shortages they were unable to fill.

“The number of openings for Registered Nurses – and many other related healthcare positions – in our area is truly concerning, but our graduates are exceptionally equipped and eager to help fill the voids. We’re immensely proud of our graduates and the differences they’re already making in the community and workforce,” says Regina Pokidaylo, Director of Career Services at Plaza College.

Plaza’s other associate and baccalaureate-level healthcare-focused degree programs include Dental Hygiene, Medical Assisting, Health Information Technology, Healthcare Management, and Surgical Technology (Coming Fall 2024).

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