(1)
Review of the Approval Status of a Program. Grounds
for Board review of a program's approval status and site survey include, but
are not limited to, the following:
(a) Board's
receipt of information documenting a violation of
244
CMR 6.04;
(b) with regard to parent institution
accreditation, program accreditation or both:
1. failure to obtain or retain
accreditation;
2. denial, or
withdrawal of accreditation; or
3.
change of accreditation status.
(c) failure to provide information to the
Board, enrolled students, program applicants, or the public concerning the
program, or providing false or misleading information;
(d) ongoing difficulty in retaining qualified
administrators or faculty;
(e)
failure to adhere to the program's stated mission, philosophy, outcomes,
policies or curriculum plan;
(f)
failure to provide clinical experiences necessary to meet the student learning
outcomes or nursing education outcomes; and
(g) ongoing annual NCLEX pass rate less than
80% for first-time writers.
(2)
Approval with Warning
Status. The Board may determine that a program failed to comply
with 244 CMR 6.04 and warrants
Approval with Warning status. The Board shall notify the chief executive
officer of the parent institution and the Administrator, in writing, of the
program's Approval with Warning Status, and of the actions the parent
institution must take to reestablish compliance with
244
CMR 6.04. Based on its evaluation of the
regulatory deficiencies, the Board may also limit the number of students
admitted to the program during the period of Approval with Warning. At the
conclusion of the designated time period for the correction of the cited
deficiencies, the Board shall determine whether the program warrants
restoration of its Full Approval status, continuation of the Approval with
Warning status for a specified additional period of time with or without a
limitation in student admissions or withdrawal of approval. A program placed on
Approval with Warning status shall:
(a) within
three business days of being notified by the Board of the program's Approval
with Warning status, update all electronic and print publications to reflect
its Approval with Warning status and notify, as directed by the Board, all
enrolled students and program applicants in writing, of the program's Approval
with Warning status, the basis therefore, and the necessary corrective
action(s);
(b) correct the
deficiencies identified by the Board as directed by the Board; and
(c) inform all program graduates that they
remain eligible to write the NCLEX.
(3)
Withdrawal of
Approval.
(a) The Board shall
withdraw its approval of a program after notifying the Administrator and the
parent institution, in writing of its continued failure to comply with
244
CMR 6.04 after having been provided an
opportunity to correct such deficiencies. Action by the Board to withdraw
approval granted a program shall be taken in accordance with M.G.L. c. 112,
§ 81A. The Board shall make best efforts to time the effective date of
withdrawal of approval at the end of a semester or session.
(b) Students enrolled in the graduating
cohort(s) may write the NCLEX contingent upon the parent institution providing
evidence of completion of all program requirements. The parent institution
shall provide the Board with information regarding students in the graduating
cohort(s) as requested by the Board in order to determine eligibility to write
the NCLEX. The parent institution shall notify in writing, and as directed by
the Board, all enrolled students who are not in the graduating cohort that the
Board has withdrawn the program's approval and that they shall not be eligible
as graduates of the program to write the NCLEX.
(c) The Administrator shall make all
reasonable efforts to assist enrolled students in transferring to a
Board-approved program.
(4)
Reinstatement of
Approval. A program whose approval has been withdrawn by the Board
may request reinstatement of approval by following the procedure for obtaining
Prerequisite Approval Status as set forth in
244
CMR 6.05.
