Miami-Jacobs Career College practical nursing program timeline:
September 2006: College granted conditional approval of practical nursing program.
2007 to 2009: The Ohio Board of Nursing identified “deficiencies” in the program and allowed it to continue on a conditional basis.
November 2010: A hearing examiner concluded Miami-Jacobs was not in compliance with several rules and recommended the program remain on conditional approval for another year.
January 2011: The Ohio Board of Nursing voted to withdraw conditional approval and deny full approval. Miami-Jacobs appealed and a court ruled the board take up the matter again.
March 2012: Appeals court dismissed an appeal from the Board of Nursing.
May 1: Miami-Jacobs asked the Ohio Board of Nursing to reopen the hearing and allow the college to cross-examine witnesses and present evidence to rebut their testimony.
May 15: Miami-Jacobs filed for a temporary restraining order.
May 18: The Ohio Board of Nursing denied Miami-Jacobs’ request for a new hearing. The board withdrew conditional approval and denied full approval.
May 20: Court denied Miami-Jacobs a temporary restraining order.
May 22-23: Miami-Jacobs appealed in court in order for enrolled student to continue in their program. The following day, their motion to stay was denied.
Source: Franklin County Clerk of Courts
Miami-Jacobs Career College’s practical nursing program has closed after the Ohio Board of Nursing withdrew its conditional approval of the program for the second time since its creation in 2006.
The nursing board said it “has no confidence” that the college will comply with Ohio’s minimum standards to safely and effectively educate nursing students, according to state and court records.
Miami-Jacobs expressed disappointment Wednesday that the nursing board made a decision “based on information that is more than two years old,” according to a statement by spokesman Chuck Vella. He added that the college, a private for-profit founded in Dayton in the 1860s, is considering its next steps.
In January 2011, Franklin County Common Pleas Judge Richard A. Frye allowed the program to stay open but ordered it to stop admitting students while the school appealed the nursing board’s decision to revoke its license. At that time, the Dayton Daily News reported that Miami-Jacobs had 82 students enrolled in its 15-month program.
In the board’s May 18 decision, executive director Betsy J. Houchen denied Miami-Jacobs full approval of its program, which has been held on its Dayton, Troy and Springboro campuses. She concluded the program “has shown disregard for both the quality of education it provides to its students, and for the students themselves.”
Following Houchen’s report, Franklin County Common Pleas Laurel A. Beatty denied Miami-Jacobs’ temporary restraining order against the nursing board; and Frye also denied a “motion of stay” request seeking to allow students to continue in the program during the appeal process.
In a statement, Miami-Jacobs said it was “shocked and dismayed” Houchen’s decision.
“Not only did they not grant accreditation for our nursing program — permanent or even conditional accreditation — but more importantly, they made an uninformed decision based upon information that is more than two years old. We have made substantial improvements in our program and consider it to be of the highest quality, yet they refused our request to present our strong program as it exists today.
The school said “we want to do everything we can to our help nursing students finish their instruction and prepare for their careers.” The college declined to say how many students are affected and how they will assist them.
Houchen’s decision was in response to a court order to reconsider approval of Miami-Jacobs’ nursing program, because a judge found the board’s January 2011 hearing violated the school’s right to due process by deliberating in a closed session and including “unreliable material,” such as unsworn testimony.
Houchen concluded that Miami-Jacobs “repeatedly provided false or misleading information to the board.” She also cited concerns with the program’s administration, “unqualified faculty” and lack of clinical experience for students. “At every juncture, the program has used ‘the students’ as an excuse for prolonging its conditional approval status,” Houchen wrote, “but the program has failed to show through its actions that it is serving the best interest of the student population it serves.”
The nursing board referred all questions to the Ohio Attorney General’s Office, which represented the state agency in court. The office could not provide additional information Wednesday.
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