The nursing school rankings are an attempt by the US Department of Education to better serve the nursing profession.
The department has long been known for ranking nursing schools based on their graduation rates, retention rates, and other metrics, which can be used to evaluate the quality of nursing schools.
But, as CNN reports, the ranking has come under scrutiny recently for a number of reasons, including: – A review of the ranking’s data revealed that more than 70% of nursing graduates do not complete their nursing degree within four years of graduation.
– In many cases, nursing graduates were told by their parents or a nursing school administrator that they would not graduate if they were not satisfied with their nursing education.
– Despite this, many of these graduates continued to work for nursing schools in the hope of obtaining jobs in nursing, even if they had no experience.
– Although the Department of Health and Human Services has been reviewing the nursing rankings for more than a year, the nursing industry has been pushing for the department to move forward on its efforts.
A letter to the department, sent by a group of nursing professionals on May 17, urged the department not to remove the nursing ranks from the rankings.
“Nursing schools must remain in the best nursing colleges and should continue to earn the highest marks for their commitment to student achievement, retention, and career success,” the letter reads.
“This does not mean the schools will automatically receive an A+ grade in any of the categories, but should be recognized as high-performing for these and other reasons.”
The letter is signed by several senior nurses, including the president of the American Nurses Association, the president and CEO of the National Association of Nursing Boards, and several nurses from across the country.
The letter was addressed to Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos and Deputy Assistant Secretary of Labor Elizabeth A. Lunsford, as well as the chair and vice chair of the Education Committee for the American College Nurse.
The nurses, who represent a diverse group of health professions, are calling for the school rankings to be revised.
“We have long been in support of the need for this process to continue,” said Jill B. Shafran, president of American Nursers Association.
“As nurses we have long fought for the continued inclusion of nursing as a major component of the education of our nation’s health care workers.”
“We believe that the inclusion of the nursing colleges in the rankings is a positive step forward,” said Lunsfield.
“The rankings are not only flawed in their methodology and have been in place for a decade, but they also have not been evaluated for their impact on student retention.
The ranking needs to be updated to include this additional information.”
According to CNN, the Department is also considering an additional step in the process.
The Department is working with the American Medical Association, which has been critical of the rankings, and nursing associations across the US, including American College of Nurse Practitioners (ACNP), to craft a list of nursing-related reforms that would improve the ranking.
“In the coming weeks, the ACNP will begin the process of developing a list to be submitted to the Department to help inform the Department’s efforts to improve the quality and consistency of nursing education in the United States,” said B.J. Anderson, president and chief executive officer of the ACNA.
“These reforms are essential to ensuring the nursing workforce continues to be competitive in the global health care marketplace and provide quality education to students across all areas of nursing.”
– Follow Abby Ritter on Twitter at abril_ritter or @abbyritter.