Kansas State Board of Nursing education committee keeps Donnelly on conditional status, approves multiple program changes and reapprovals

The Education Committee of the Kansas State Board of Nursing on Wednesday voted to keep Donnelly Collegeon conditional approval and to maintain the committeerecommendation that the college not admit new nursing students until the committee reviews implementation progress in September.

The committee also approved a package of site-visit reapprovals and major curriculum changes for multiple nursing programs statewide, and discussed recommendations from the LMHT (licensed mental health technician) task force and the 2:1 simulation-hours question. Several institutions confirmed new curriculum alignments with national test and accreditation standards.

The committee said the decision on Donnelly follows a lengthy improvement-plan presentation by Donnelly staff and a review of interim data, ongoing complaints and corrective steps the college has undertaken. Lauren Fish, director of nursing at Donnelly College, described actions the college has taken since March to stabilize faculty, add an NCLEX-focused remediation program, contract with ATI for integrated assessment and remediation, hire a simulation coordinator and to improve student advising and complaint tracking. "Donnelly College is really important as a gateway mission," Fish said in the meeting. "We respectfully request that you would allow us to admit PN students in the fall." The committee did not accept that request at this meeting.

Why it matters: Donnellyserves a predominantly first-generation, multilingual student population and the committee said it must see sustained implementation of the college's corrective steps before allowing a new cohort. The college's leaders reported recent changes they say should increase NCLEX success rates, but the committee said it needs more time and evidence. The committee reiterated the board's prior March action placing Donnelly's programs on conditional approval and pausing new admissions until the program shows six months of stability and a satisfactory site visit.

What the committee asked Donnelly to show: continued faculty onboarding and retention; full deployment of the ATI testing and remediation suite; evidence that clinical placements and simulation integration meet regulatory expectations; resolution or documented follow-up on outstanding complaints and clearer, consistent student-facing policies and syllabi. Committee members also requested data on NCLEX predictor and remediation outcomes once the first ATI-driven cohort completes the review cycle.

Other substantive discussion items - LMHT task force: The committee heard a report from a task force that reviewed the licensed mental health technician (LMHT) pathway and exam. The task force recommended a teach-out for new LMHT education programs and asked staff to explore transferring certificate oversight to the Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services (KDADS) rather than the Board licensing new LMHTs. The group cited limited statewide demand, inconsistent program content (notably pharmacology), and the cost and workload required to update the LMHT exam as reasons for recommending a phased exit from new licensure under the Board's processes. - 2:1 simulation discussion: Committee members reviewed state-by-state policies and academic literature on simulation substitution for clinical hours. Members said some Kansas programs are using rigorous, faculty-led simulation that may be defensible as a partial substitute in specific circumstances, but the committee declined to adopt a blanket 2:1 simulation-to-clinical ratio or to change Kansas clinical-hour rules without clearer standards and certified-simulation program safeguards.

Votes at a glance (motions adopted) - Approve amended consent agenda (nursing education staff report; 2025 site visit schedule; petition-to-test/retest summary, including three petitioners): motion by Michelle Terry; outcome: approved (motion carries). - Approve follow-up after first-graduation site-visit report for Gayland College ADN program and grant five-year approval: outcome: approved. - Approve reapproval site-visit report for Flint Hills Technical College, PN program; five-year approval: outcome: approved. - Accept initial site-visit report for Cloud County Community College PN program and require the PN follow-up be done with the next ADN site visit (spring 2027): outcome: approved. - Approve Wichita State University major curriculum change (incorporate CCNE 2021 essentials; shift start date to 2026; add 20 seats): mover recorded as Karen Kinnard; outcome: approved with one abstention recorded. - Approve University of Saint Mary graduate NP curriculum changes (separate didactic and clinical hours for NP courses; rename course prefixes to align with division standards; remove a 1-credit lab and reallocate hours): outcome: approved. - Approve Butler Community College request to grant IV-therapy certification in the first level of its bilevel program for students who complete IV requirements and pass the IV exam: outcome: approved. - Approve Manhattan Area Technical College change to grade (not pass/fail) for PN clinical courses: outcome: approved. - Approve University of Kansas change to allow in-person, online or hybrid delivery for NURS 472 (evidence-based practice): outcome: approved. - Approve Washburn University changes to psychiatric mental health NP courses (course retirements/replacements, credit-hour shifts and change of clinical-clock-hour ratio from 60 to 75 hours per credit for specified courses): outcome: approved. - Approve Fort Scott Community College major curriculum re-sequencing (distribute med-surg content across three semesters, move leadership to hybrid delivery, shift to annual fall admissions pending site visit confirmation): outcome: approved. - Approve WSU Tech ADN adjustments (decrease PN admits per semester; expand ADN seats by 30; allow a spring admission): outcome: approved.

Discussion vs. formal action - Several agenda items were presented as information or improvement-plan updates (Seward County Community College, Mid America College of Health Sciences, Donnelly College, Mid-America Nazarene/Washburn personnel changes, and others). The committee accepted some reapproval and curriculum-change motions as formal votes (listed above). For Donnelly College the committee maintained the March conditional recommendation and set a September follow-up review; that direction is recorded as committee guidance rather than an adoption of a new program application.

Clarifying details from the meeting record - Donnelly College reported recent PN quarter-1 NCLEX pass rates of 58% and RN quarter-1 pass rates of 72% (as presented to the committee). - Donnelly and other programs reported adoption of ATI assessment and remediation products; Donnelly said full ATI integration will begin summer 2025 and that a live NCLEX review and virtual reviews were scheduled for late June. - Washburn University requested and the committee approved a change in the clinical-clock-hour ratio for select psychiatric mental-health courses from 1 credit = 60 hours to 1 credit = 75 hours. - Cloud Countyreceived initial PN approval with a follow-up visit aligned to the next ADN site visit (spring 2027).

Next steps and outlook - Donnelly College: the committee will review written updates and return to the committee agenda in September 2025 to determine whether the college may resume admissions. The committee asked for ATI predictor and remediation outcome data, faculty onboarding and retention metrics, documentation about complaints and their resolution, and evidence that simulation/clinical placement plans meet regulatory standards. - LMHT: staff will consult with KDADS and report back; the committee asked for a concrete proposal in September on whether KDADS would manage certification and whether a formal teach-out timeline is feasible.

Ending The Education Committee completed a full agenda that combined routine site-visit approvals and a number of major curriculum changes with a sustained oversight conversation about a single program (Donnelly College) that remains on conditional approval. The committee will revisit Donnellyand the LMHT recommendations at its September meeting.