Aspen University under probation after State Board of Nursing investigation!!

30 minutes ago, Jenny Lee said:

My concern is what if I earn my BSN then the school closes? Would I still be recognized as a BSN nurse?

If you have completed the program and been awarded the degree, there would not be a problem. The school would need to establish somewhere for the school records to be stored and nursing is not the only degree program they offer. There are several instances where schools/colleges have closed and there is no effect on graduated students. An example of this is, RNs who graduated from diploma schools of nursing (a 3 year hospital-based program very common until the 1970s or so) and those RNs continue to practice to this day. 

What concerned me most in the report I posted, is the constant changing of college rules and administrators, student expectations, lack of investment in faculty and total revision of testing practices. BTW, what nursing preparation school offers 'open book' tests and expects students to take a closed book licensure exam? 

I do want to reiterate I am just a student advocate and only know what I know based on what I posted. 

Best wishes on your search for an RN to BSN program. There are a lot of choices out there. Just do your due diligence. 

I would be lying if that didn’t scare me too. I think you should look into all your options. Figure out what you need most out of a program and see what ones meet those needs. If your gut tells you something doesn’t feel right then cross that one off the list. I do believe once you have a diploma you have a diploma, I don’t believe they can take it away , but some schools might not accept it if you plan to further your education. For me as a busy single mom , working full time … I had no choice but to make price and flexibility a priority in my school choice. I do wish I could afford a better school. 

2 hours ago, Jenny Lee said:

, I'm looking at Grand Canyon(CCNE Accredited, NCLEX pass rate 96%, and regionally accredited) this school is a lil pricey but has a good reputation when it comes to their nursing program and United States university (CCNE and regionally accredited)

I was just wondering why you are only looking at 'for-profit' programs? This may be too personal a question and I understand if you don't want to answer it.

I have experience with Aspen - and although this post is old - I think it is important to differentiate between the pre-licensure program in Arizona and the rest of Aspen. ALL of Aspen is not on probation - only their pre-licensure program and they are doing a teach-out of that over the next two years.

Their MSN and RN-to-MSN programs are CCNE-accredited and their general accreditation is DEAC. DEAC for those who might not know is a perfectly respectable national accreditation sanctioned by the U.S. Department of Education for schools that do not go through regional accreditation.

(I do not work for Aspen and have no family that works there...and am not financially dependent on them in any fashion.

Idealista said:

ALL of Aspen is not on probation - only their pre-licensure program and they are doing a teach-out of that over the next two years.

The problem is Aspen is not providing a quality education (as cited by the Arizona BON) for the teach out. According to the most recent censure by the AZ BON they are passing everyone...not failing those who receive a failing grade for the course and adding a test that was not on the syllabi.

If they show no conscience, no scruples for providing diplomas to those who do not acquire the necessary information..what are they doing in the other programs? Don't take my word for it...read this! 

 March 2023

https://drive.Google.com/file/d/1-YRaNtdolcEe8qmwIFvZQcI1xk7-Bhju/view

Here is a summary but be sure to read all the charges!

Quote

During the Board meeting, Board members discussed concerns regarding Respondent's practice of
giving students' paid work credit for clinical hours, which the Board found is a violation of Arizona
Administrative Code Rule 4-19-211(A)(3); falling NCLEX scores, failure to adequately proctor exams, lack
of improvements overall, sharing of confidential investigative information, and overall concerns regarding
the adequacy of the education.

Quote

Upon
analysis, for the N410- Adult Health III course, 17 students (25.4%) passed the final exam with a score of
75% or higher. When the HESI scores were combined with the final exam scores, the result was that 34
students (50.7%) passed the final exam with a score of 75% or higher. As a result, no students failed N410
in this session of the term. Furthermore, when Board staff raised this issue as a point of concern with
Respondent's leadership, Respondent defended and endorsed this practice, effectively signaling that this is
normal practice for this program.

Concrete examples are provided in the link. Read all the charges and examples.

Who would ever go to a RN-BSN program or graduate program knowing the public/employers/BON know that the university passed everyone and their dog to graduate in an entry level program? Doesn't mold creep?