State nursing board OKs warning for FSU program

Raleigh, N.C. — The state Board of Nursing on Thursday approved a recommendation to place the nursing program at Fayetteville State University on probation.

The move comes after 24 of 31 FSU senior nursing students failed to graduate because they failed an exam from Health Education Systems Inc. The students threatened to sue, saying the test wasn't part of their graduation requirements, and 13 passed when they were given a chance to retake the exam.

The nursing board ordered the FSU program to comply with published admission policies, have the professional records of all faculty members on file to review their qualifications to teach certain classes and publish accurate program information.

Interim Chancellor Vic Hackley has said that the standardized test was used incorrectly and should have been administered earlier for assessment purposes.

Administrators were in too much of a rush to get the 2-year-old program up and running and weren't stringent enough in upholding standards, Hackley said, adding that procedures to correct any problems have been put in place.

Nursing board members will make an unannounced visit to FSU next year to review the program. If it meets standards, board members will continue to monitor the program for three years.