Nursing students await decision on accreditation

Jennifer Knight

Wednesday, May 8, 2002 | 10:06 a.m.

A snafu in the accreditation of a CCSN nursing program could leave 21 graduating students without a way to practice medicine.

The administration at the Community College of Southern Nevada believes its practical nursing program will be approved by an accrediting board in July. But students have been told it is not a foregone conclusion.

"Students knew up front (accreditation) might be a problem," said Cindy Kimball, a spokeswomen for the Nevada State Board of Nursing, a state regulatory agency that licenses nurses. "But from what I hear, it looks like the program will be accredited."

A decision on accreditation of the practical nursing program, which trains nurses assistants, is expected in July. The state board of nursing, however, does not allow graduates to sit for their license until the program is accredited, Kimball said.

At best, students would have to wait two months after graduation before getting licensed. At worst, CCSN would not be approved, leaving the graduates without a way to practice in the state.

But that is not likely, Shirlee Snyder, CCSN's nursing director, said.

"I'm optimistic, but cautiously optimistic," Snyder said. "I'm hoping this is just a moot issue in two months."

CCSN had an opportunity to get accredited sooner, but opted to put off a crucial site visit by the board because the program had just been moved to another campus to accommodate additional students, Snyder said.

That set the school back about six months in the accreditation process, but it was a risk administrators felt they needed to take.

"We did not think that was the best time having a site visit, after just moving," Snyder said. "With initial accreditation, it's either yes or no, and we didn't want to take any chances."

Students were sent a warning letter on July 24, 2001, informing them of the school's situation.

"While CCSN is optimistic that the program will achieve accreditation, such a result cannot be guaranteed," the letter said. "This could mean that you may be unable to obtain a practical nursing license in this state, even if you successfully complete the required course of study."

None of the nursing students was on campus Tuesday for comment, but an anonymous e-mail sent and signed only "Graduating Licensed Practical Nursing Students 2002," addressed the situation.

"The majority of students in this graduating LPN class are working parents who have made countless sacrifices to become nurses," the letter said. "Students are now struggling to understand why the Nevada State Board of Nursing has demonstrated such a lack of regard caring for graduate nurses and the community as a whole."

Kimball said the action on the part of the board was not meant to be punitive, but to protect the public from improperly trained nurses.