MSSU nursing program escapes death penalty, no new students after this fall unless officials get their act together

Missouri Southern State University's nursing program escaped the death penalty this morning, but the State Board of Nursing made it clear the program needs to straighten up its act or it is headed for extinction.

(Note: This post has been edited to add the university's official statement.)

The board voted unanimously to give the university's program conditional approval and accept a plan for a voluntary moratorium in which no new nursing students will be accepted during the spring semester while a consulting firm helps to improve and modernize the program's teaching methods and curriculum.

Students who are already enrolled will be allowed to continue with their classes during the spring semester.

The decision also gave a reprieve to university officials who, despite being told during the July inspection that they might be ordered to accept no new students for the fall semester, went ahead and enrolled a new cohort and accepted the students' tuition.

Board members did not appear to be particularly impressed with some of the answers provided by Paula Carson, the university's vice president of academic affairs, who was not able to adequately explain why problems that were noted in the board's 2017 inspection were still evident in July 2020.

"We didn't ignore them," Carson insisted, adding that these were "consistent issues and concerns."

That could be why the board brought them up.

MSSU's nursing program has been in disarray for more than a year with 12 of the 14 instructors who were in place seven months ago no longer associated with the university. When some left, the university did not replace them and increased the workload for remaining instructors without a corresponding increase in pay which led to more resignations.

Just as concerning was the pass rate for students which has fallen to about 80 percent, something that appears to be a direct result of the staff departures and also put the program at risk of losing its accreditation.

The former head of the program, Marcia Wilmes, was removed in June.

The State Board received numerous complaints about the local program from students and former employees, most of them leveled at decisions made by Wilmes.

The university was down to only two teachers for the fall semester and told the state they would have eight in place by the beginning of the semester.

Despite a mad scramble to fill the vacant positions, the efforts fell short and when the semester began Monday, only five were in place. Two others have been hired and approved and will begin within the next couple of weeks, Carson and Lisa Beals, interim director of the nursing department, told the board, while the eighth instructor is awaiting board approval.

Carson told the board the schedule has been rearranged so that the shortage of instructors at the beginning of the semester will not keep students from receiving all of their classroom and clinical hours.

After the State Board's July inspection, Beals updated the department on the situation in a message sent July 10:

First, I would like to say that the reviewers were very gracious in their approach to the situation. I met with not only the reviewers, but also the provost, vice president for academic affairs and the new president yesterday.

I feel it is important to stress to you all the need to consider the nursing department, faculty and students as what I am about to tell you is not a matter to discuss with ANYONE outside of the department, even former employees or confidants.

What we do, say or how we act as a department from this point on will be crucial to a positive outcome. The department's credibility is at stake. I hope that everyone will be mindful in your communication because if you are not, peoples (sic) quality of life is at stake.

As of present, the reviewers have provided two options.

First, that the university accept a voluntary moratorium on student admissions.

The other option, if this is not chosen, is a mandatory moratorium.

The leadership team at the university discussed this at length during the process of the review and after the exit. I recommended a moratorium as I felt this demonstrated our desire to do the work to reorganize the department and that we are acutely aware of how we got here and our determination in going forward.

The university officials have the ultimate decision because this impacts so many things from Fall/Spring enrollment to even the very future of the nursing program at MSSU.

It is an extremely serious situation and one that will require an unimaginable amount of work at a point when we have all worked so much over the past year.

Only the Missouri State Board of Nursing can lift the moratorium and only if we have demonstrated meeting the standards.

I will receive a summary of all the MOSBN recommendations very soon. However, I do think that the University does not want the program to fail and are invested in changing the culture as well as the educational aspects of the nursing program.

I also think that students and university officials have noticed the culture in the department as being less than optimal.

Missouri Southern State University issued the following news release this afternoon:

In 2019, prompted by board pass rates in the nursing program, Missouri Southern State University and the Missouri State Board of Nursing began the process for curriculum and programmatic changes.

As a result, a hold has been placed on accepting a new cohort beginning in the spring of 2021. The hold will not affect the current Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) students nor the program’s national accreditation status.

The Nursing Department at Missouri Southern historically has had an exceptional reputation – serving students and the community for more than 45 years. To improve student outcomes, significant changes are currently being implemented to ensure the program’s long-term vitality.

New nursing program leadership and faculty have been hired and are committed to Missouri Southern’s mission and values.

“We will continue to do what is best for students and focus on all facets of the program,” said Dr. Paula Carson, provost and vice president for academic affairs. “Work has begun to improve curriculum in order to provide students with the classroom and clinical experiences needed to prepare them for the national board exam and career success. An experienced consultant has also been contracted to assist in this process.”

Those efforts have already shown positive results in creating improvements within the program, she said. During the Spring 2020 semester, 90% of students passed the national board exam on the first attempt which exceeds the 80% state requirement. 

As the demand for well-prepared nurses grows – both locally and nationally – so does the demand for quality nursing education.

Missouri Southern is dedicated to strengthening the outcomes of the program while preparing students to enter the workforce. The president, Board of Governors and campus leadership will continue to support program progress and provide input to ensure that MSSU graduates top-notch nurses prepared to offer excellent care and meet the needs of a diverse patient population.

“By continuing to work with the Missouri State Board of Nursing, Missouri Southern will ensure students receive the right education for their professional field,” said Carson. “Our students are always our first priority."

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