PHOENIX — The nursing program at Aspen University in Phoenix is one day closer to learning its fate after the state threatened to shut it down over its struggle to meet basic educational standards.
Current nursing students came together on Monday during this time of uncertainty.
"If the school shuts down, we're not able to graduate. What am I going to do?" says Ejiria Walker, an Aspen University nursing student.
Walker is one of nearly 400 students left to graduate.
"A lot of us have put so much work in. We are so dedicated to becoming nurses and the new curriculum proves that we can be healthy, safe nurses. We have the scores to back it up," says Walker.
Aspen University's nursing program in Phoenix has been under investigation since 2021, in part for not meeting the minimum pass-rate standard on the national nurse exam.
The program later agreed to voluntarily surrender its state-issued approval after finishing a "teach-out" of its remaining students.
Just last week, the Arizona State Board of Nursing voted to put the nursing program on notice of its intent to effectively close the program early over concerns about public safety and students' ability to practice safely once leaving the program.
"It's kind of offensive for them to say that you know, we might be putting out unsafe patient care when the majority of the people that are in the program have already been providing patient, direct patient care for years and years and years," says Lindsay Laube, another Aspen University nursing student.
Laube is pregnant with her third child and her mother was recently diagnosed with cancer.
"If it's not worth it, that's going to be the most devastating thing, I think...like, you can't get time back, right?" says Laube.
The board also pointed out that the program failed to meet basic standards when it comes to exams and was improperly counting clinical hours.
"There were some things that could have been, probably should have been done a little bit differently from the school, but why are we being punished for that?" asks Louise DeBusk, a student at Aspen.
The board will meet again for a final decision. It's unknown what will happen but they could potentially shut down the program, either that day or at a later date.
"There's no other school that's going to take our credits and so, we would essentially have to start all over," says Walker.
The board says they are also working at the state and federal levels on options for students.
"I have no doubt in my mind that we are needed and wanted, regardless of where we got our education because of who we are and what we've been through," says student Heidi Klingman.
