80% or bust: Nursing program remains in limbo

The Grambling State University School of Nursing met with the Louisiana State Board of Nursing on Tuesday to discuss the future of the pro- gram.
The board decided to keep the current status of the pro- gram, which is currently not accepting any new students into the professional nurs- ing discipline. The School of Nursing stopped accepting new students in April.
Interim President Cynthia Warrick and Danita Potter, the association dean of the School of Nursing, traveled to Baton Rouge to defend the program and persuade the board to re- move the hold. According to Potter, all of the students have taken the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX) since the spring se- mester have passed. NCLEX must demonstrate that 80 is the test for the licensing of percent of their students registered nurses and practical    have passed the test; a job nurses in the United States. All academic programs must demostrate that 80 percent of their students have passed the test; a jobthat Grambling’s program in the past has failed to do. The program remains accredited through the year 2020, by the Accreditation Commission Education Nation (ACEN).
In order to get the School of Nursing back on track and accepting new students, the program has made sev- eral modifications that they hope will help them meet state board approval during their next meeting on June 4.
Implemented this fall, the School of Nursing has aligned each of its unit-made tests with the NCLEX-RN test plan. This enhancement is ex- pected to ensure that nursing majors and pre-nursing majors are familiar with the exam which should help to increase test scores.
“I would like for there to be more study groups and more one-on-one test preparations with professors,” said A’Keyio Flemming, a sophomore nurs- ing major from Bastrop. “I hope the program solves the matter of delayed admission, so that desiring nursing stu- dents can be accepted into the program.”
In order to meet the needs of students such as Flemming, the nursing program has col- laborated with other institu- tions on ways to increase test scores and has come up with a new faculty and information guide that increases retention, developed with ACEN.
The School of Nursing has purchased supplementary comprehensive NCLEX reviews for the this semesters perspective graduates.
Even though the situation is tenuous, Potter is optimistic for students wanting to pursue nursing degrees at GSU. “I encourage all students to follow their dreams and never to deter away from your path,” she said.
She advised for freshmen and sophomores with aspira- tions of entering the School of Nursing to focus on their prerequisite courses. She also had advice for un- derclassmen currently in the program: Become more ac- tively engaged, make appoint- ments, arrange follow-ups, and have the utmost respect for their professors.
Potter said this experience has given her the opportunity to “guide and mentor (stu- dents) so that they can be their best and flourish in their chosen career.”