Although it may not seem like it to the matriculating nursing student, schools of all kinds come and go. New schools open, and old schools close. But when a nursing school closes, the students enrolled at the school have natural and urgent questions about how they will complete their education. Nursing students face many issues. School closure isn't one of those expected issues.

Nursing School Closures

Two developments have increased nursing student concerns over school closures. One development has been the closure of six Florida nursing schools related to the FBI's Operation Nightingale. Operation Nightingale alleged in press releases and criminal fraud charges that thousands of nurses bought fraudulent credentials from the now-closed MedLife Institute West Palm Beach, Palm Beach School of Nursing, Sacred Heart International Institute, Siena College, and Quisqueya School of Nursing and Health Care Academy.

A second development is the Arizona State Board of Nursing's vote to terminate the teach-out program of Aspen University's nursing program. The Board had previously accepted the nursing program's voluntary surrender of its state approval, while permitting the program to complete the instruction of current students over two more years. But enough concerns arose over the quality of the closing program for the Board to end the two years early.

Consequences of Nursing School Closure

Loss of state board approval or national accreditation generally closes a nursing program. Graduates of a nursing program without state board approval or national accreditation won't generally get to sit for nurse licensing exams or obtain nursing employment. Thus, students attending Aspen University or any other nursing program suddenly losing their state board approval or accreditation have very real and immediate concerns. They need to finish their nursing education from an approved and accredited program.

Options After Nursing School Closure

Some nursing students have relatively good options when their nursing program plans to close. As the Aspen University story indicates, the state nursing board in that case initially permitted Aspen nursing students to complete their education in a so-called “teach out” program. New students don't get in, but old students do get out with a teach-out degree that generally qualifies them for licensure.

Yet the unfortunate termination of Aspen's teach-out nursing program means that those students who hadn't finished yet need to find another qualified nursing program. That's sometimes the other option. Other nursing schools may accept students on transfer from the closed program. After all, the transferring student didn't get dismissed from the nursing program. But transfer may depend on the nature and quality of the credits the transferring student had earned. Transfer may not be perfect and in some cases may not even be possible.

Nursing School Closure Services Nationwide

If you currently face nursing school closure without a clear option to complete your nursing education and degree, retain the Lento Law Firm's premier Student Defense Team and national student defense attorney advisor Joseph D. Lento to advocate all of your options. The Lento Law Firm Team has helped hundreds of students and professionals nationwide successfully address school issues. Call 888.535.3686 or go online now.