VinUniversity’s Bachelor of Nursing Program passed the second Accreditation Round of ACEN (US)

VinUniversity’s Bachelor of Nursing Program successfully passed the second accreditation round and was officially approved as a Candidate for initial accreditation by the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN). 

ACEN is recognized as one of the most prestigious authorities for nursing education accreditation in the US, and achieving its initial accreditation required three evaluation rounds. VinUni started its accreditation process for the Bachelor of Nursing program in 2022, only two years after initiating its first enrollment. By mid-2022, the program had cleared the first round (Eligibility round). By January 2024, it successfully passed the second round (Candidacy round).  

During the Candidacy process, ACEN experts paid visits VinUni to professionally assess the program’s ability to demonstrate compliance with the ACEN Standards and Criteria. The final Cycle would be considered based on the expert’s assessment. Notably, ACEN applies the same standards and criteria for international institutions as US nursing programs. Therefore, these strict requirements demand the institution to demonstrate stringent compliance from day one of student enrollment to accreditation.  

ACEN experts conducted an on-site observation of clinical teaching and learning activities involving clinical faculty and students at Vinmec Hospital.

The ACEN’s representative noted that VinUni’s Bachelor of Nursing program excelled in many criteria, indicating its high quality. It took only 3.5 years for VinUni to accomplish two out of three ACEN rounds, officially becoming a candidate for initial accreditation of this prestigious authority. VinUni has set a record for the speed of reaching candidate status, which typically requires a significantly longer duration to meet ACEN’s requirements.  

ACEN experts have collaborated with representatives from various departments/offices of VinUni during the accreditation process

Assoc.Prof Nguyen Hoang Long – Director of the Nursing Program, stated: “This outcome is vitally important for VinUni’s undergraduate programs.   Adhering to accreditation standards is vital to ensuring the program’s alignment with its goals and achieving its objectives. Simultaneously, it is an indicator that VinUni’s nursing students are being educated in alignment with US standards, laying a solid foundation for their professional careers. Society can genuinely trust in the quality of VinUni’s education and the Bachelor of Nursing program. 

Assoc.Prof Le Cu Linh (on the right side) – Executive Vice Dean of College of Health Sciences,  Assoc.Prof Nguyen Hoang Long and ACEN experts at VinUni campus

According to Assoc.Prof Nguyen Hoang Long, VinUni, will have two more years to fulfill the standards and criteria of the final Cycle before achieving initial accreditation. ACEN will continue to support VinUni in providing recommendations for the Program to further enhance its criteria while leveraging existing strengths to achieve the best outcomes in the future.