On November 20, 2020, over 200 registered nurses learned that the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE) withdrew accreditation from the Lehman College, City University of New York, Family Nurse Practitioner program. Of those nurses, 45 were scheduled to graduate in 30 days, after almost three years of grueling coursework, clinicals and self-sacrifice. This group of nurses will never have the opportunity to become board certified if this decision stands. Without the CCNE certification these nurses will not be able to practice as certified Family Nurse Practitioners (FNP). The majority of these individuals currently serve low-income populations as registered nurses and are committed to continue their careers providing care to the underserved at the advanced practice level. Obstructing this opportunity is not only an injustice to the FNP students, but the communities they care for, who already receive disproportionately inferior care, while concomitantly suffering from greater health disparity. 

In the year of the nurse this is an injustice. These nurses risked their lives working tirelessly during the coronavirus pandemic and subsequently provided over 500 hours of additional patient care during their clinical rotations. Imagine overcoming unthinkable obstacles and  making unparalleled sacrifices only to learn 4 weeks before graduation that it was all for a profession that you would never get to practice in.  

Today, we urge you to sign the petition to request that CCNE grant Lehman College a good cause extension and allow these nurses the opportunity to become board certified.