ST JOHN’S, Antigua – The American University of Antigua (AUA) and the American International College of Arts and Sciences Antigua (AICASA) has announced that the school’s nursing programme has met the New York State Education Department standards.
The tertiary institution said “on December 13, 2011, it received a letter from David Cochran, assistant attorney general of the State of New York and counsel to the New York State Education Department (NYSED),” acknowledging that AUA/AICASA met the standards.
A statement said that AUA/AICASA nurses are now eligible for licensure in New York, provided that they pass the National Council of State Boards of Nursing exams (NCLEX), are of good moral character, and meet all other requirements for New York State licensure.
A statement from AUA said “the recent acknowledgment from the NYSED validates the school’s long-standing position that AUA’s and AICASA’s high standards, rigorous training, dedicated faculty and, in particular, its motivated students deserved to have their hard work and choice of profession legally acknowledged.”
The Division of Professional Education of the New York State Education Department, Office of the Professions has said, “The Division accepts the representation set forth in letters submitted by the prime minister, minister of health, the attorney general, and other government officials of Antigua & Barbuda, that AUA/AICASA School of Nursing’s 73-credit Associate of Science Degree in Nursing programme is an approved nursing preparation programme in Antigua & Barbuda.”
In March this year the American University of Antigua (AUA) came under pressure following media reports that it was not accredited by the National Accreditation Board of Antigua & Barbuda (ABNAB). This led to problems in the school’s accreditation in the US.
The School of Nursing, which began operating in 2009, was put on hold for several months after more controversy arose over claims that the programme was not approved by the Antigua & Barbuda Nursing Council, and so isn’t accredited in the state of New York.
In August, AUA challenged the constitutionality of a US agency’s rejection of the qualifications of the School of Nursing, which led to similar action by the state of New York.
The university filed a legal challenge in a US court in early August against the Commission on Graduates of Foreign Nursing Schools (CGFNS) president Neil Simon had said.
The lawsuit arose after the agency ruled that the school was not recognised by the Government of Antigua & Barbuda, and though they provided letters indicating this is not the case, the claim was upheld.
But the Division of Professional Education of the New York State Education Department, Office of the Professions has now accepted the school as accredited, after it said it “reviewed at length the documentation provided by government authorities in Antigua & Barbuda, and the extensive supporting materials submitted by AUA/AICASA officials and their attorneys.”
