McAtee elected chair of nursing education accreditation board

Dr. Brooke McAtee, the director of nursing at Northwest Missouri State University, recently was re-elected for a second term with the Board of Commissioners for the National League for Nursing Commission for Nursing Education Accreditation (NLN CNEA) and elected to serve as its chair. 

The NLN CNEA promotes excellence and integrity in nursing education through its accreditation process, emphasizes a culture of continuous quality improvement and influences the preparation of a caring and skilled nursing workforce.

The 15-member Board of Commissioners provides leadership and direction to accreditation services and is responsible for all accreditation decisions on nursing programs that seek accreditation from the NLN CNEA.

McAtee began serving with the Board in 2023 and was the first person elected from Missouri to serve with the accreditation body.

“My service with CNEA has already contributed to the success of our own accreditation efforts, and this expanded leadership role will continue to provide insight, advocacy and strategic advantages as we grow our programs and plan for the future,” McAtee said. “I look forward to bringing continued value back to our faculty, students and the University.”

McAtee joined the Northwest faculty in 2018 as an instructor for the University’s RN to BSN program. She has been instrumental in developing the University’s RN-to-BSN and MSN curricula and has taught a range of courses in both programs. Previously, she served as a tenured faculty member in the licensed practical nursing and associate degree nursing programs at North Central Missouri College, where she also served as dean of nursing and health sciences.

Her professional work also includes clinical experience in obstetrics and nursing management, and she has taught courses spanning the practical nursing level through the master’s degree in nursing. McAtee also has served on regional boards, including those affiliated with the Missouri Area Health Education Centers and Mosaic Life Care.

McAtee completed her doctoral degree in 2020 with a specialization in nursing education at Capella University. She has a master’s degree in nursing from the University of Phoenix and a bachelor’s in nursing from the University of Missouri-Columbia.

About Northwest’s nursing program

Northwest relaunched its RN-BSN program in 2018 as an online program that offers seven-week sessions, enabling students to complete the program in less than a year. The student-centered program is conducive to the working nurse’s schedule.

A bachelor’s degree in the nursing field provides opportunities for nurses to advance in their professional roles at state, national and international levels. Northwest’s RN-BSN program emphasizes the importance of leadership skills in all service areas. Students enrolled in the RN-BSN program also have the opportunity to earn a nurse manager certificate offered through the Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing.

Northwest also offers an online Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) as a 30-hour graduate program for registered nurses who have obtained a Bachelor of Science in Nursing. The program offers 15 hours of core classes with the remaining 15 hours completed in one of two tracks – nurse executive and administration, or nurse educator.

Both programs are accredited by the NLN CNEA.

To learn more about Northwest’s online nursing program, visit https://online.nwmissouri.edu/programs/nursing-programs.aspx, call 660.562.1973 or email nwnursing@nwmissouri.edu.