The practical nursing program at St. Paul College could be in danger of closing if it doesn’t quickly improve its pass rate on the national licensure exam.

Just 65 percent passed the exam in 2017 and 53 percent passed last year — worst among Minnesota’s 26 practical nursing programs, which as a group passed at a rate of 85 percent.

If the program can’t hit 75 percent this year, it will trigger a statutory process that could result in the Minnesota Board of Nursing removing St. Paul from its approved list, effectively closing the program.

“We are taking it very seriously,” said Deidra Peaslee, interim president of St. Paul College.

Besides the Board of Nursing, the practical nursing program is in hot water with its accreditor, the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing, or ACEN. Its board ordered a site visit in June 2018 after the first year of low exam scores.

This fall, the agency added conditions to the program’s accreditation. They cited low NCLEX pass rates and the college’s failure to analyze assessment data in order to improve the program.

The Higher Learning Commission made similar comments about failing to learn from test data when it placed the entire college on probation in July.

INSTRUCTOR QUALITY QUESTIONED

Peaslee attributed the St. Paul program’s struggles to staffing turnover. It’s hard to find and keep quality instructors because they can make more money working in nursing, she said.

The school has a new nursing director and now is fully staffed, Peaslee said.

In reports to regulators, the school tied the low exam scores to numerous other factors, including:

A large share of non-native English-speaking students.

Cheating on classroom tests, which led to a change in textbooks.

The opening of a Minneapolis site, which spread resources too thin.

Program officials recently told students about a number of changes that Peaslee said will improve content delivery and make the classes more rigorous.

Theresa Erickson-Hempel, a second-semester student, said the school has put new hurdles in place to make sure only the most qualified students can take the NCLEX exam.

She said students now can’t graduate unless they pass a practice test. She learned last week that an optional seminar has been made mandatory, adding four hours to her school week.

And the school no longer is offering its pharmacology course online. Without face-to-face instruction, Erickson-Hempel said she barely passed that class.

“Basically, I was teaching myself pharmacology,” she said.

Erickson-Hempel has been unimpressed with the faculty. She said one instructor spoke against vaccination and offered extra credit for students who would watch a video from a vaccine-skeptical doctor.

“We’re paying money to be here,” she said. “We should be getting qualified instructors.”

STATE HELP

As it’s tried to turn things around, the practical nursing program has sought help from HealthForce, one of eight industry-specific offices created by the Minnesota State higher education system to get employers in fields with workforce shortages to collaborate with the state’s colleges.

Executive Director Valerie Defor said if the St. Paul program ends up closing, the Minnesota State system will find a way for its students — who made up 9 percent of the state’s NCLEX test takers last year — to complete the program.

She’s hopeful it won’t come to that.

“There is a real need for LPNs among our healthcare employers. Absolutely, we would not want to see a decrease in capacity. They’re needed at all levels,” she said.

Fond du Lac Tribal & Community College recently agreed to close its practical nursing program after three straight years of low NCLEX pass rates.

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Shirley Brekken, executive director for the Board of Nursing, said NCLEX pass rates serve as a “red flag.” The board begins to scrutinize a program when its pass rate is below 75 percent; ACEN’s bar is 80 percent.

A third year below 75 percent wouldn’t necessarily cause the board to remove St. Paul from its approved list. Rather, the board could consider the changes St. Paul is making and give them time to demonstrate improvement, Brekken said.

However, the state board requires all approved programs to maintain accreditation. So, if ACEN rescinds St. Paul’s accreditation, the state board will follow.