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Education Licensing Committee approves routine education items and multiple nursing program enrollment changes
Summary
The California Board of Registered NursingEducation Licensing Committee accepted minutes and routine curricular items, ratified continuing approvals, and voted on a batch of enrollment increases for approved nursing programs. Most substantive enrollment requests were approved; a few were adjusted or deferred for later board review.
The Education Licensing Committee of the California Board of Registered Nursing on a teleconferenced meeting accepted prior meeting minutes, ratified routine curricular and clinical approvals, and approved several substantive enrollment changes for approved nursing programs across the state.
The committee framed the day as a teleconference-focused session with a single publicly noticed Sacramento location and reminded participants that committee members and staff would not be present at that site. Committee Chair Jovita Dominguez led roll calls and votes; Executive Officer Loretta Melby and Nursing Education Consultant Mary Anne McCarthy presented staff reports. Legal counsel Reza Pezrahesh provided procedural clarifications during public comment periods.
Why it matters: the committeevotes change how many students programs may admit, which affects clinical placement demand, faculty workload and local nursing workforce pipelines.
The committee approved a range of routine items first: acceptance of the October 17, 2024 Education Licensing Committee minutes and the consent agenda covering minor curriculum revisions, program progress reports and clinical/facility approvals. Mary Anne McCarthy summarized board policy that allows nursing education consultants to accept non-substantive curriculum changes and that programs must not place students in unapproved clinical sites.
Votes at a glance (selected motions and outcomes) - Accept minutes (Oct. 17, 2024) — Motion by Committee Chair Jovita Dominguez; second Dolores Trujillo. Vote: Dominguez yes; Trujillo yes; Tricia Winn yes. Outcome: approved. - Ratify minor curricular revisions, clinical facility approvals, and acknowledge program progress reports (consent agenda) — Motion by Chair Dominguez; second Tricia Winn. Vote: Dominguez yes; Trujillo yes; Winn yes. Outcome: approved. - Continuing approval for multiple pre-licensure and advanced practice programs (agenda items 8.4.1through 8.4.9, Azusa Pacific University through University of San Diego) — Motion made and seconded; vote recorded as yes by Dominguez, Trujillo and Winn. Outcome: approved.
Enrollment and substantive-change votes - California State University, Fresno (BSN) — requested increase of 20 students annually (from 120 to 140). Motion to approve the substantive change: seconded; vote: Dominguez yes; Trujillo yes; Winn yes. Outcome: approved.
- Career Care Institute (Lancaster, ADN) — requested an increase that would have raised annual enrollment from 32 to 120 (40 students, three times a year). Committee members expressed concern the request was too large. The school and the committee negotiated a smaller pattern: the committee approved three cohorts of 32 students (annual enrollment 96), an increase of 64 students instead of the requested 88. Motion to approve revised enrollment pattern (96 annually) passed with unanimous recorded committee votes.
- Chamberlain University, Irwindale (BSN) — requested a phased increase to reach 180 annual students. The committee approved a narrower first-year pattern (30 students six times a year for 180 in 2025), with the committee noting the school plans to rely on simulation and to maximize the 500 direct-care-hour requirement. Motion passed, recorded yes votes from the committee.
- Stanbridge University, Orange County (BSN) — requested increase from 120 to 160 annual students (adding 40). Multiple clinical partners and local hospital executives spoke in support of Stanbridge during public comment. Motion to approve the request carried with yes votes from Dominguez, Trujillo and Winn.
- Westmont College (BSN, Santa Barbara) — modest increase from 48 to 108 annual students (36 students, three times per year). The college described campus and clinical collaboration with nearby community colleges and Cottage Hospital. Motion to approve carried.
- Xavier College (ADN, Stockton) — modest increase from 30 to 40 annual students (one cohort). Committee members noted sufficient faculty and clinical capacity; motion to approve carried.
- Grossmont College (ADN, El Cajon / San Diego region) — requested 20 additional LVN-to-RN students to bring annual enrollment to 100. Committee discussed San Diego-area capacity and noted Brandman/other changes reduced some clinical demand; motion to approve carried.
- Unitec College (BSN, Concord) — requested an additional cohort to move from 120 to 160 annual students (40 students three times a year). Committee conversation noted collaboration with other schools and expanded clinical affiliation agreements. Motion to approve carried.
- Samuel Merritt University (multiple campuses): the committee split action by region. The committee deferred decision on two Sacramento-campus requests (an Entry-Level Master program increase and an ABSN increase totaling a 72-student increase for the Sacramento region) to full Board discussion in February, citing recent approvals and clinical capacity concerns raised at public comment. The committee approved the Oakland-campus baccalaureate requests (combined increase of 72 students for Oakland campuses). Motions: defer Sacramento requests to Board (moved and seconded; carried), approve Oakland-campus BSN/ABSN increases (moved and seconded; carried).
- Gurnick Medical Arts (new secondary site / feasibility study, San Jose) — committee voted to defer final decision on feasibility for the San Jose secondary site to the full Board (February), citing region-wide impact concerns.
What the committee emphasized - Committee members repeatedly urged programs to document outreach to local clinical partners and to use required facility verification forms; staff reiterated that solicited letters of support are not required and that legally referenced forms (EDP I01/EDP 11) are the appropriate evidence of capacity. - Where a requested enrollment increase raised concerns about clinical placement or rapid regional growth, the committee either reduced an ask (Career Care Institute) or deferred to the full Board for more discussion (Samuel Merritt Sacramento; Gurnick feasibility).
Ending: The committee completed the Education Licensing Committee items and adjourned to allow related committees to follow later in the day. Committee Chair Dominguez said the full Board would consider deferred items in the coming Board meeting schedule.
