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E-mail Home > Blogs > Get on the Bus > Archives > 2011 > May > 24 > Entry
Judge tells nursing board to reconsider revoking approval of Miami-Jacobs nursing program
COLUMBUS - The Ohio Board of Nursing must reconsider the fate of the Miami-Jacobs Career College nursing program after a judge ruled statements made by a state lawmaker and students may have swayed the board’s decision to revoke approval of the program.
Richard A. Frye, Franklin County Common Pleas Court judge, found in a 12-page opinion that while considering whether to continue conditional program approval the nursing board violated the open meetings law and Miami-Jacobs’ right to due process.
Frye ruled the nursing board shouldn’t have allowed State Rep. Clayton Luckie (D-Dayton), two students and a parent to make statements about the college before the board deliberated in closed session about the future of the program. “The appearance of justice was not preserved,” Frye wrote in his decision that sends the case back to the nursing board, which must “reconvene and fairly and impartially reconsider the case.”
The decision is the latest chapter for the college’s health-related programs which have faced a string of problems. In a statement, Miami-Jacobs officials said they were pleased with the decision because it “parallels our own beliefs about the nursing board’s ill-informed decision.”
An official from Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine’s office said the nursing board plans to challenge the decision at a state appellate court.
Luckie was surprised the decision so heavily focused on his statements, which he said were made in the public comment period of the nursing board’s two-day monthly meeting. “It makes no sense,” Luckie said. “All I spoke about was the injustice that was referred to my office.”
Frye’s opinion compares Luckie’s unsworn statements to allowing “passersby to drop in to a courtroom and offer unsworn comments” during a trial. Frye goes on to point out that Luckie’s role as a lawmaker and his position on the state controlling board, which makes funding decisions, also could have influenced nursing board members. Frye calls Luckie an “ardent foe” of Miami-Jacobs in the ruling.
Luckie worked to help students who have had problems with the college, he said. “There was no back channel. Everything that went to their office was public record. It was an open book,” Luckie said.
The nursing board voted Jan. 21 to revoke the college’s conditional approval to teach practical nursing after years of uncovering problems with the program. The decision went against the recommendation of the board’s hearing examiner, but noted the repeated difficulties at the college including using unqualified personnel, showing disregard for students and misrepresenting facts in reports to the nursing board.
Officials from both Premier Health Partners and Kettering Health Network, which operate the region’s largest hospital chains, said in January they don’t consider Miami-Jacobs nursing graduates for employment because they are not as qualified as students from other schools.
Miami-Jacobs officials have said they remedied past problems and hired new staff to bring the nursing program into compliance. They called Frye’s decision “positive news” for the college’s students and graduates.
Miami-Jacobs immediately appealed the nursing board’s January decision to revoke program conditional approval and Judge Frye stayed the decision pending the appeal so current students could continue their studies. The college has not enrolled new nursing students in the program since last year as it worked through problems with the nursing board.
Permalink | Comments (11) | Post your comment | Categories: Colleges and Universities
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By mjccPn
May 27, 2011 12:03 PM | Link to this
well maybe you should think about that befor posting.. how about those who graduate from sinclairs RN program?? those students cant find jobs because for one.. long term care prefer LPNs and hospitals want RN BSN.. so actually sinclair is at a disadvantage!
By lilqtpie
May 26, 2011 5:22 PM | Link to this
I am a current MJCC student and i’ve been to other schools such as sinclair and they do not care about their students like MJCC does. The staff at MJCC takes extra time with students to ensure they understand the materials and prepare them for all tests, interviews, competencies, and boards. The students who do not do the work and apply themselves are the ones whining and trying to get their money back because THEY wasted MJCC’s time not the other way around. I know many students who have went to MJCC and have been successful and others who haven’t, and the reason they aren’t successful is because they don’t put forth the effort and apply themselves to obtain the grades and jobs they want. Its not the schools fault it is the students who dont apply themsleves!! GO MJCC!!
By Sara Greenwald
May 26, 2011 11:09 AM | Link to this
I am a graduate of the nursing program that was affected by the January 21st ruling. I, like every other student in my class, passed our boards the first time and half of us are already employed as LPN’s. I feel as prepared as other new hires in my facility. Also, it is amazing that the news and the paper only reported on the Judge’s decision briefly or on the third page of the paper instead of splashing it across the headlines when it was unfavorable for the school. Maybe that is why some MJCC grad’s are having trouble finding jobs. The community has an unfair impression of our capabilities.
By John Q. Public
May 26, 2011 8:21 AM | Link to this
Now that Delta got smart and got rid of Darlene Waite and Faith Mitchell, MJCC has a chance to live up to its 150+ year reputation. Those two caused many of the problems at MJCC because of their inflated egos and the new leadership seems to have a handle on the quality people on their academic team. Strong Deans, Program Directors and Instructors at all of the campuses are going to turn things around for the whole school, not just the PN program!
By MJCC PN GRAD!
May 25, 2011 7:54 PM | Link to this
I am a recent graduate of MJCC’s PN program and that is because of this honorable Judge’s fair decision. The OBON had no consideration for the students who were almost done and had made many many sacrifices to get there education. The students who complained were those who failed because they had their priorities all screwed up. I know this because one of them was in my class and never studied cause she was too busy, her words,”I am a cardiac MA I do not have time to study”. So needless to say she failed. Her fault, not the school. You can not get through any nursing program unless you are willing to dedicate your life to your studies. I am sickened by all these comments. Hospitals do not hire LPN’s from any school to tell the truth so what they say does not matter. If we pass our boards that should be proof that we are competent enough to be nurses. The OBON is the ones who test us so why are they complaining about us? Most of you do not even have a clue just into gossip. Well I say MJCC nurses rock and we will prove that. Check out the pass rate of MJCC grads with the state board and get your facts straight. Sinclaire, RETS and many others have issues too so why not put their business out there too, no just mess with the for profit school cause some state rep runs his mouth, not impressed with him said the judge when he stayed the January decision. It does not matter where I went to school as long as I pass the boards comp test then I know my stuff and am qualified just as any other LPN. I stand proud to say I graduated from MJCC and they have my vote. This is just another story for people to talk about and in time when they get their full approval we graduates and future students will be the ones smiling and saying Dayton Daily News wheres your story now.
By We Rock
May 25, 2011 6:34 PM | Link to this
MJCC Rocks and we always have!
By a--hole
May 25, 2011 12:28 PM | Link to this
This school is cool.
By mjccPn
May 24, 2011 9:36 PM | Link to this
hospitals dont hire LPN period! and the fact that we pass our boards makes us just as qualified as any other student from any other school. and on another note..many many many of our clinical sites hire MJCC nurses because they see that we care.. have skills and know our stuff.. JUST SAYIN! :)
By William
May 24, 2011 9:16 PM | Link to this
This judge is clearly an idiot. The Ohio board of nursing should have shut down this second rate program years ago.
By seriously
May 24, 2011 6:19 PM | Link to this
This is a bad idea. The school has a long history of failing their students and having a bad reputation of producing sub-par nursing students. On top of that The LPN degree is basically worthless in the Dayton area. It has been so saturated over the last 10 years there are slim to no jobs out there for LPN’s.
By Great!
May 24, 2011 5:37 PM | Link to this
Great news for MJCC they rock!