Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Nursing Program Approval topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Board accepts Unitech College feasibility study for Ontario BSN campus despite placement concerns
Summary
The BRN accepted a feasibility study from Unitech College to open a secondary BSN campus in Ontario (Inland Empire) with a 40‑student per term model (120 annually). Public commenters warned of clinical‑site strain; Unitech removed a proposed site after feedback and board members approved the study.
The Board of Registered Nursing accepted a feasibility study from Unitech College seeking approval for a secondary campus of its Bachelor of Science in Nursing program in Ontario, California (Inland Empire). Maryann McCarthy, supervising nursing education consultant and liaison to the Education Licensing Committee, told the board Unitech revised its submission after committee feedback and public comment and removed a planned clinical placement ("Totally Kids") that raised displacement concerns.
Unitech's requested enrollment pattern for the alternate campus is 40 students three times a year for an annual total of 120 students, the packet showed. McCarthy pointed the board to updated documentation (faculty collaboration forms and an updated executive summary) in the meeting materials.
During public comment Sherry Henderson (Carrington) said clinical sites in the Inland Empire are already strained; she reported clinical rotations shifting to night and weekend hours and urged caution to prevent displacement of existing California programs' students. McCarthy and other staff explained the board's limited authority: while the board can evaluate collaborative efforts and require evidence that placements will not displace existing programs, it cannot impose a moratorium to stop growth in an area. She also said the board received more public comments at the committee level and that Unitech was responsive to that feedback.
Board members praised the updated academic collaboration form and Unitech's responsiveness and moved to accept the feasibility study. The motion to accept passed on roll call.
What happens next: Acceptance of the feasibility study advances the item under the board's approval process; board members said they will continue monitoring clinical‑placement impacts in the Inland Empire and encouraged continued public comment at committee meetings.
