LCMC Health awarded Commission on Collegiate Nurse Education accreditation

LCMC Health is pleased to announce that it was recently awarded a Commission on Collegiate Nurse Education (CCNE) accreditation for the system’s Academy for Novice to Experienced Registered Nurses (LANTERN) nurse residency program. Currently, there are only 33 institutions in the United States that have earned this distinction, with LCMC Health the only one in Louisiana.

The LCMC Health LANTERN program is a 12-month course designed as a component of the new graduate nursing orientation program at all LCMC Health facilities. Its goal is to build confidence and provide support at the beginning of a new nurse’s professional journey, giving the nurse resident the tools to be successful.

“We recognize that to be successful a new graduate registered nurse requires support in many forms,” says Dr. Denise Danna, University Medical Center’s Chief Nursing Officer, and Adjunct Associate Professor and Director of Academic Practice Partnerships with LSUH School of Nursing. “The year is like a fellowship with our nurse residents earning significant work experience alongside expert colleagues to enhance their clinical and professional training opportunities during this first year of transition.”

The program was initiated at LCMC Health in the Fall of 2017 and since its launch, 894 nurses have completed the training. All newly graduated nurses who accept a position at an LCMC Health hospital are automatically enrolled in the LANTERN program, another benefit to joining the healthcare system’s extraordinary nursing family.

Among the objectives of the program is the opportunity for these new nurses to understand the continuum of care across the entire LCMC Health care system. “The program provided the opportunity to communicate and learn with other units across the entire hospital system,” said Marilyn Diaz, a registered nurse at University Medical Center, a 2020 graduate of the Delgado Charity School of Nursing. “I found this to be very valuable in beginning my nursing career.”

“The program provided encouragement and empowerment for the nursing profession, which was important to me especially being a new nurse,” stated Lucy Mendez, who works on the University Medical Center Telemetry unit, a 2018 graduate of the Delgado Charity School of Nursing.

Officially recognized by the U.S. Secretary of Education as a national accreditation agency, the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE) is an autonomous accrediting agency, contributing to the improvement of the public's health. CCNE ensures the quality and integrity of baccalaureate, graduate, and residency programs in nursing.

CCNE serves the public interest by assessing and identifying programs that engage in effective educational practices. As a voluntary, self-regulatory process, CCNE accreditation supports and encourages continuing self-assessment by nursing programs and supports continuing growth and improvement of collegiate professional education and nurse residency programs.