Editorial: Nursing decision a win-win

Tuesday, May 28, 2002 | 8:50 a.m.

In the spring of 2001 the Nevada State Board of Nursing learned that the Community College of Southern Nevada had delayed for a year the accrediting of its new nursing program. College officials had reasoned that because the program had just moved from the West Charleston campus to the Henderson campus, it wasn't the best time to have people who will be deciding your future taking a tour. Although miffed it hadn't been notified beforehand of the college's decision to delay accreditation, the board allowed graduates of the Class of 2001 program to take the state exam for a nursing license and get on with their careers. But it ordered the directors of the college nursing program to send a letter to Class of 2002 students, warning them that the same courtesy would not be afforded them. The letter declared that a decision about accreditation would not be known until July 2002 and that if accreditation was not granted, they would not be allowed to take the exam.

Nevertheless, 21 students enrolled and sure enough, the inevitable happened. After devoting themselves for a year to the practical nursing program and graduating this month, the students didn't want to chance the small risk that the National League for Nursing Accreditation Commission would find a reason not to accredit the program. In that event, their nursing education records would have vanished. They asked for permission to take the test without having to sweat the results of the accrediting commission.

At first, the Board of Nursing took the hard line, saying the students had been forewarned. But last week the board rightly backed off that position and decided that the 2002 class shouldn't be treated differently than the 2001 class. Even forewarned students, they reasoned, should not be penalized because of administrative decisions beyond their control. We say there are times -- and this was one of them -- when fairness and reasonableness should triumph over strict applications of rules. The board members decided that their earlier, provisional approval of the nursing program satisfied, for now, the requirement that exam takers must have graduated from an approved program. They agreed to remove that provisional approval if accreditation is denied. It was a good decision, because we need nurses wearing white uniforms a lot more than we need officials wiel ding red tape.