The National League for Nursing (NLN) is a national organization for faculty nurses and leaders in nurse education. It offers faculty development, networking opportunities, testing services, nursing research grants, and public policy initiatives to more than 25,000 individual and 1,200 education and associate members.
The National League for Nursing promotes excellence in nursing education to build a strong and diverse nursing workforce to advance the health of our nation and the global community.
The NLN was founded in 1893 as the American Society of Superintendents of Training Schools for Nurses and was the first organization for nursing in U.S. In 1912 it was renamed the National League for Nursing Education and released the first Standard Curriculum for Schools of Nursing in 1917. In 1952 the NLN combined with the National Organization for Public Health Nursing and the Association for Collegiate Schools of Nursing as the National League for Nursing and assumed responsibility for the accreditation of nursing schools in the U.S.
A collection of papers including proceedings of annual conventions, minutes of meetings, biographical data of early leaders, correspondence and photos is held at the National Library of Medicine in Bethesda, Maryland.
The NLN provides TAP, the Total Assessment Program for NCLEX Success, a comprehensive testing services program for nurse educators, students, and practitioners. TAP is a complete preparation package to assess students’ abilities and achievement prior to admission, after specific courses, and at the end of nursing programs. The TAP package consists of Pre-Admission Exams, Achievement Exams including Practice Tests and Remediation, Pre-NCLEX Readiness Exams, Live Review, and Question Review Bank (QRB).
The National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission (NLNAC) was the original subsidiary of the NLN and was responsible for all activities related to the accreditation of nursing programs. The NLNAC was based in Atlanta, Georgia.
In late 2013, the NLNAC was renamed as the Commission for Nursing Education Accreditation (CNEA).
On July 1, 2014, Judith A. Halstead, PhD, RN, FAAN, ANEF, was appointed executive director of NLN's new accreditation division, the Commission for Nursing Education Accreditation (CNEA).
The number of accredited programs awarding academic degrees, diplomas or certificates by the NLNAC as of 2010: