PA Lincoln University closes its nursing program, leaving a hole in the pipeline of Black nurses

[NRSKarenRN, BSN, RN]

PA Board of Nursing requires an 80% pass rate to maintain full approval of nursing program. Lincoln's program has been on provisional status for several years with past 5 years pass rates 54% -71.4% highest in 2023. Despite change in nursing educators, was unable to maintain accreditation.

Lincoln University closes its nursing program, leaving a hole in the pipeline of Black nurses
 

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Pennsylvania's only nursing program at a HBCU struggled with low pass rates since its foundation a decade ago.

 The Class of May 2023 would be the last.

Lincoln, located in Chester County, Pa., was the only historically Black college and university (HBCU) in the state to offer a bachelor's of science in nursing. The university's program served as a pipeline for Black nurses in a medical workforce in which 7% of registered nurses are Black.

Though a relatively small program, with about 15 graduates on average each year, its closure is a blow to national efforts to fix long-existing racial disparities in health-care staffing and improve care for Black patients.

...In her May 4 email to students, Lincoln University President Brenda A. Allen explained that the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE) had withdrawn the program's accreditation, primarily because not enough Lincoln graduates passed the national exam to become a licensed nurse. And the program's accredited status would lapse on May 8 — the day after graduation.