December 18, 2023

To the Arizona State University Board of Regents, the Edson College of Nursing and Health Innovation leadership, and whomever else it may concern:

We, the undersigned members of the Master’s Entry to Nursing Practice class of August 2024 (“MEPN 2 cohort”), present the following breaches of contract by Arizona State University:

1. ASU falsely advertised “step-out experiences” as a component of the MEPN program.

ASU describes step-outs as clinical experiences in specialty areas that are not available at a student’s homebase facility. ASU advertised and continues to advertise step-out clinical experiences in the informational materials available to the public and the orientation materials for incoming MEPN students. Thorough documentation of this is available upon request.

On November 29, 2023, a concerned MEPN student met with Dr. Scheer (director of prelicensure nursing programs at ASU) regarding the absence of step-out experiences in obstetrics and pediatrics. Dr. Scheer stated that step-out experiences are not included in the MEPN program and all documentation to the contrary is erroneous.

2. ASU falsely advertised their MEPN program as entirely in-person.

In fact, between 21-43% of the credit hours each term come from “iCourses” – exclusively online classes with no lectures (recorded or live) and no known proprietary materials from ASU. Note that these iCourses are the classes that differentiate the MEPN program from the undergraduate prelicensure nursing programs offered by ASU. These iCourses are composed of 7-8 “modules” that reference external reading materials or videos to watch, with end of module assignments such as discussion boards, quizzes, or papers. There is zero instruction – virtual or in-person.

Additionally, MEPN students were urged to forgo full-time employment due to the rigor of the program and the requirement of student presence on campus or in a clinical setting 4+ days per week. In reality, the MEPN program averages fewer than 15 hours per week of on-site learning – this includes lectures, labs, and clinical experiences.

3. ASU failed to deliver contracted lecture hours.

One week before the start of our fall term pediatrics course (NUR417: Nursing Concepts for Pediatric Patients), administration emailed the MEPN 2 cohort that the course was no longer in-person and would be delivered in a hybrid format, with self-directed learning on Tuesdays and 4.25 hours of lecture time on Thursdays. At the start of the term, our professor communicated she would “provide all instruction” on Thursdays during her lecture time. However, since we were almost always released early, our in-person lecture averaged 1.5 - 2.5 hours weekly rather than the allotted 4.25 hours of instruction.

4. ASU fraudulently withheld hard copies of textbooks that students had already purchased.

ASU required MEPN students to purchase an online learning package through a third-party, Assessment Technologies Institute (“ATI”) by May 16, 2023. ASU failed to inform students their purchase included physical copies of textbooks purchased through ATI, to be distributed to students by ASU. On November 8, 2023, after months of inquiry, the administration sent an email to the MEPN 2 cohort confirming that we are entitled to these textbooks. Per a December 8th email, administration hopes to organize pickup times in early January, although they are not yet in receipt of our textbooks. We have now completed half of the program without access to the physical textbooks and will not have them in hand until at least eight months after purchase.

5. ASU employs instructors who violate FERPA, refer to patients in derogatory ways, and violate standards of professionalism and courtesy.

Below are a few comments from among many that students have received:

• Openly discussing one students’ performance in front of their peers, saying, “If you’d passed [the test] the first time, this wouldn’t have happened”
• Referring to patients as “desert trash”
• Stating that students requesting help should say “I failed because I’m dumb”
• While students were practicing tracheostomy suctioning on a dummy baby, the instructor stated that her priority was learning the skill, but “I don’t care if you hump the baby in the process”
• When a student approached an administrator, concerned about the brevity of our pediatrics lectures, she was told that the role of the faculty and administration is not to “hold your hand”

We are deeply concerned that these breaches will cause deficits in our training that will jeopardize patient safety and our ability to deliver competent care. Multiple members of the MEPN 2 cohort have sought help from professors and our program director to address these issues. Unfortunately, we have not been able to effect any concrete change or receive help. Instead, we have been reassured that we will be able to find employment after graduation due to the high demand for nurses. This is not an acceptable answer to the problem.

In view of these breaches, we call for the following:

1. Inclusion of step-out experiences for Terms 3 and 4 to provide in-person clinical exposure commensurate with what was promised / experiences offered to the traditional and accelerated BSN students. Additionally, we require “make-up” step-out opportunities for obstetrics and pediatrics be made available to students who wish to solidify their learning in those specialties.

2. In-person instruction for all classes in Terms 3 and 4, and tuition reimbursement for iCourses from Terms 1 and 2 that lacked any instructional component.

3. Delivery of appropriate lecture time commensurate with what the credit hours of a given course require.

4. Distribution of all textbooks prior to the start of Term 3.

5. Ethical practices, including faculty adherence to FERPA and commitment to respectful and professional communication with students.

We look forward to your response by December 29th.

Sincerely,

The Undersigned Members of the MEPN 2 Cohort