Nightingale
- After years of fighting, Nightingale voluntarily withdrew and lost their Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN) accreditation on March 15, 2021. https://www.acenursing.org/voluntary-withdrawal
Nightingale Nursing College in Salt Lake City, Utah public image is a noble one. It is a progressive dynamic Nursing college which gives poor and underprivileged rural students the opportunity to become nurses. But the truth is that, in the words of the former IT director Sean Millard, Nightingale College is an "slush fund" that rips off their own students they claim they are trying to protect. As Suzette Scheuermann, Sean Millard and Travis Bailey explains, Nightingale College repeatedly lie to regulatory bodies such as ACEN and ABHES that are created to protect nursing students and the public at large. Nightingale College's CEO is Mikhail Shneyder, a Russian (Belorussian) who was vice president of a College in California which was shut down by the federal government. There is currently an ongoing two year investigation with Washington State Nursing Accreditors about these allegations. (Washington Department of Health sent an official acknowledgement letter on August 31, 2020 “I see that they applied for a license as a training school in 2018. Our database says that initial application is "pending". No update in our records since then.”)
According to past and current employees, Nightingale would have lost their ABHES licensing if they didn't have their lawyers sue.
Nightingale Nursing College illegally defrauding students
TRAVIS:
"So, you are telling me that they were actually charging for students that were not in the school, the full amount.
SEAN MILLARD (Former IT director):
"The full amount, yeah"
"Yeah, the full amount"
"So, if you were a student and you signed up, you paid the full amount and they used it through the student loan program and the way it looked, they had a huge slush fund and that’s the way they made it sound, so they never run out of money. Because sixty students, yeah, and that’s the way they put it and more. We have to have x amount of people signed up every semester.
...
There were testing centers that would allow other people’s companies to come in and do tests on these computers for their company but no other companies come in do to test on those machines...it was government type funding. If you are a testing centre, you can get grants…. You can get tax credits, you can get tax cuts and grants.
- Full audio recording: https://soundcloud.com/travis-bailey-648277970/nightgale-sean-millard
- Sean Millard, Full transcript of recording. (Word document)
Contents
- 1 Nightingale Nursing College illegally defrauding students
- 2 Mikhail Shneyder: Former college closed by Federal Government
- 3 Federal lawsuit after loss of ACEN accreditation loss on March 15, 2021
- 4 State lawsuit against whistleblower for defamation from July 2020 to 2021 documents
- 5 Testimonies of Nightingale's illegal and unethical behavior
- 5.1 Sean Millard: Government Fraud, camera installed in boardroom, Cheating students
- 5.2 Suzette Scheuermann: Concealing information from nursing accreditors
- 5.3 Stacey Youlios Hornsby: Unethical pay practices
- 5.4 Travis Bailey, Esq.: Spying on ACEN Nursing accreditor
- 5.5 Eric Corrington: Nightingale is corrupt and has access to files showing this
- 6 Wikipedia article on Nightingale College - March 2021
- 7 Where to file a complaint against Nightingale Nursing College
- Whistle-blower? Here is what you can do to expose Nightingale College
- Report your Nightingale Nursing College Complaints to Accrediting Bureau of Health Education Schools (ABHES). See below.
Mikhail Shneyder: Former college closed by Federal Government
From 2009 to approximately 2012, Mikhail Shneyder worked at California's Heald College as the Vice President. Due to findings by the Department of Education of misrepresented job placement rates at certain programs of Heald College from July 2010–2015, the department made students eligible to have their debts canceled. Because of a lawsuit alleging that "Heald College...misrepresented job placement rates for certain programs".(How to Apply for Student Loan Forgiveness if You Attended Heald College, United States Department of Education.) Heald College was shut down on April 27, 2015.(Jill Tucker Corinthian, Heald colleges shut down abruptly, San Francisco Chronicle. April 26, 2015.)
Sources:
- Information About Debt Relief for Corinthian Colleges Students
- Education/Licensing Committee Meeting, State of California, Department of Consumer Affairs, (March 10, 2011) - "Heald College Baccalaureate Degree Nursing Program, Fresno Campus Representing Heald College were Mikhail Shneyder, RN, is Vice President of Allied Health Programs at Heald College Central Administrative Office"
- Minutes Utah Education Committee Board of Nursing, (April 5, 2012 - in which Shneyder explains he started working at Nightingale in March, 2012)
Federal lawsuit after loss of ACEN accreditation loss on March 15, 2021
Federal lawsuit
https://dockets.justia.com/docket/utah/utdce/2:2021cv00099/124082
Nightingale College v. Bailey
Plaintiff: Nightingale College
Defendant: Travis L. Bailey
Case Number: 2:2021cv00099
Filed: February 19, 2021
Court: US District Court for the District of Utah
Presiding Judge: Jared C Bennett
Nature of Suit: Trademark
Cause of Action: 28:1441
Jury Demanded By: None
RSS RSS Track this Docket
Docket Report
This docket was last retrieved on February 19, 2021. A more recent docket listing may be available from PACER.
Date Filed Document Text
February 19, 2021 Filing 2 Report on the Filing of an action sent to the Director of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. (mh)
February 19, 2021 Filing 1 NOTICE OF REMOVAL from 3rd District Court, Salt Lake City, case number 200904684. ( Filing fee $ 402 receipt number 4681093452) filed by Travis L. Bailey. (Attachments: #1 Exhibit 1-State Complaint, #2 Exhibit A-Salt Lake Tribune Article, #3 Exhibit B-Email Correspondence, #4 Civil Cover Sheet 1) Assigned to Magistrate Judge Jared C. Bennett (mh)
State lawsuit against whistleblower for defamation from July 2020 to 2021 documents
Civil No. 200904684 - Judge Richard McKelvie - Utah Third District Court
- July 27, 2020 - Nightingale College Complaint - Tier 2 - Civil No. 200904684 - Judge Richard McKelvie File:Nightingale Complaint Filed 2020.07.27.pdf
- September 15, 2020 - Nightingale College Complaint - MEMORANDUM OPPOSING MOTION TO DISMISS FOR LACK OF PERSONAL JURISDICTION = File:Nightingale MEMORANDUM SUPPORTING MOTION TO DISMISS FOR LACK OF PERSONAL JURISDICTION final.pdf
- September 22, 2020 - Defendant Travis Bailey Response - File:Memorandum Opposing Motion to Dismiss for Lack of Personal Jurisdiction - Signed 2020.09.14.pdf
- February 18, 2021 - File:Application for Judgment by Default 2021.02.18.pdf
- March 12, 2021 - Motion to Remand to Utah State District Court 2021.03.12
Testimonies of Nightingale's illegal and unethical behavior
Sean Millard: Government Fraud, camera installed in boardroom, Cheating students
| Highlights: Spying on ABHES, fraudulent reporting in testing center, cheating students |
|---|
|
SEAN MILLARD installed a camera in the Ogden Nightingale Nursing College boardroom for CEO Mr. Mikhail Shneyder. It was a camera that only he had the password for. In several meetings SEAN MILLARD attended, CEO Mr. Mikhail Shneyder and Kara Harmon, Vice President, Operations and others in the Nightingale leadership discussed how they had fraudulently reported to government officials that companies had come into the testing center when no companies actually used the facilities. This was done to receive government grants and tax credits. Nerima Pasic, Director of Academic Services explained to SEAN MILLARD that Nightingale College required students sign a two year contract. If the students dropped out of college after the first semester, Nightingale College would continue to charge the students tuition for the full two years. Employees were required to meet quotas to sign up new students who would sign the contract. |
In response to the question about Sean's statement about Nerima, Russ Fuller wrote:
- Yes, if a student does not have enough Title IV aid from the government then Nightingale gives them the option to go on a payment plan. They can take courses and they make payments after they graduate or drop like it is a student loan. However, unlike Title IV loans, this payment plan can be discharged in bankruptcy. This is what I was referring to as the “bad debt” on their books in the previous email. They have been forced to take on students of lower and lower quality in order to meet numbers, and have been more reliant upon this as a source of revenue. If this revenue stream dries up I suspect that they will get into trouble very quickly.
Nightingale lawsuit against nursing accreditor ABHES
ABHES accused Nightingale College and Mikhail Shneyder of spying on them. A long legal battle ensued in which ABHES was forced to give Nightingale College accreditation. (Nightingale lawsuit against nursing accreditor ABHES: This lawsuit and the dispute with ABHES is private and not public. In a snippet of a recorded call, Nursing area director Linda Flynn confirms knowledge of the ABHES lawsuit: Linda Flynn Call- recalls Mikhail Shneyder accused of recording ABHES) Sean Miller, who installed a secret camera in the conference room where ABHES met, never testified in the litigation. Nightingale employees now say as a result of this litigation ABHES "hates" Mikhail Shneyder.
Evidence
- Sean Millard, Portion of transcript (hightlights).
- Full recording of Sean Millard, August 28, 2018. (Soundcloud)
- Sean Millard, Full transcript of recording. (Word document)
- Full recording of Sean Millard, August 28, 2018. (Soundcloud)
Suzette Scheuermann: Concealing information from nursing accreditors
- Excerpts
| Relevant excerpts: Mikhail Shneyder asked Suzette Scheuermann to lie to ACEN. |
|---|
|
Suzette: Then [Linda] could not do the work anymore from Wyoming and so I offered to step up and work in the role and I worked in the role for four months until you know Mikhail and I had an argument over submitting substantial changed paperwork and I said you know “I am not going to do anything with that, I shall report to the creditors the truth not what you think is the truth and so on”. Suzette: Yeah, they did not want to record that move. I mean the funny thing is that they did not want me to even tell [ACEN] that [Nightingale was] moving. Travis: To Salt Lake, Seriously. Suzette: Yeah, see that is the argument that I had with Mikhail, he said to me that I should retract my report to, you know, to ACEN about us moving to Salt Lake and opening up future studies for the students and you know I was like if you are going to do this let us just tell them we are going to do it and he wanted me to retract my report and I said you know “I do not do that”, I do not take steps back, I tell things the way they are and then we move on from there and so it is hilarious that they are in Salt Lake now. |
Evidence
- Suzette Scheuermann audio recording (soundcloud)
- Suzette Scheuermann, Full transcript
Suzette Scheuermann contact information
- 256 Sugarberry Lane
- Taylorsville, Kentucky 40071
- Phone/Texts 502-396-3148
- Mobile Office: https://zoom.us/j/5025440031
- Email: suzettescheuermann@hotmail.com
- https://www.linkedin.com/in/suzettescheuermann/
- https://www.facebook.com/suzette.scheuermann.5
Stacey Youlios Hornsby: Unethical pay practices
Facebook post, December 2018:
- Travis Bailey:
- hello ms hornsby, did you used to work at nightingale college? i did too
- Stavey Youlios Hornsby:
- Yes way back when they opened. Only there about 9 mo. I read your stuff on them on fb. I left because of unethical pay practices
Travis Bailey, Esq.: Spying on ACEN Nursing accreditor
"I started working at Nightingale on August 7,2017.
On September 25,2017 Belorussian Nightingale College CEO Mikhail Shneyder approached me at my desk and ask me to send an email to all of the Nightingale staff to write down what they remember from the ACEN interview. He told me to write down everything I heard in the meeting. Even though I was new, I felt this was a little too extreme, as my director, Susan Jero had told me that the ACEN conferences were confidential and the directors were not supposed to know what happened in these meetings. I suggested just emailing the directors only. I sent the email (attached). Kara D McDonald-Harmon, the Budgeting director, emailed me and asked what I was doing. (attached). I Skyped her back what Mikhail asked me to do, Kara responded (attached).
Naive about what was going on, during the first meeting Elia Miller, the HR director noticed that I was recording the session. She told Curtis Hurley, the IT specialist at Executech. I immediately stopped the recording.
I sat in all of the sessions for the ACEN meetings under the guise of technical support, meticulously taken notes from students and faculty about what they thought of the program. Unaware that Mikhail had asked me to do this, KayDee Weise and Susan Jero pulled me aside" then approved it and let me return into the room.
I compiled all of the leaders responses, and attached all of these questions and answers into one Word document (attached) I sent them to the three directors: Susan Jero, Mikhail Shneyder, and Jonathan Tanner. Susan responded that Jonathan doesn't need it, and that Mikhail wants it for "future accreditation visits" (attached).
CURTIS HURLEY LIED TO ACEN ACCREDITOR
Curtis Hurley, the IT specialist at Executech, lied and told one of the accreditors that it was his initiative to record the sessions and apologized. He told me he did this to "shield the school". I then learned that ABHES had accused Russian Nightingale College CEO Mikhail Shneyder of recording the accreditation meetings.
I went directly to my direct supervisor, Susan Jero, and complained about this issue several times. I was terminated on Friday, February 9 for continually bringing up the issue."
Evidence
- Notarized letter, Travis Bailey
- Bailey Travis Documenting ACEN visit and retaliation, (February 14, 2018).
- ACEN September 2017 visit
Eric Corrington: Nightingale is corrupt and has access to files showing this
- Full conversation with Eric Corrington - https://www.linkedin.com/in/ericcorrington
- https://coverpath.massmutual.com/home?fg=Eric-Corrington-667817
- https://www.facebook.com/eric.corrington
Linkedin conversation excerpts with Eric Corrington, former IT Manager :
...I didn't make as big of a contribution as I wanted [at Nightingale], but that's also par for the course at Nightingale - no one ever makes as big of an impact without giving up a bit of their soul in exchange. I'm glad to have made it out intact, and I'm glad you're gone, also. You seem like someone who has a better head on his shoulders than someone who goes all in with Nightingale.
...If Mikhail harbored any bad feelings about my leaving, as the master of disinformation he should be willing to let that go, as he's moving forward in the direction he wants to take the school. But I also know that he's Russian and has a long memory (I sat in the WOR meetings for long enough to know how he deals with people).
- See also Aaron Nelson.
...Aaron Nelson received a huge list of dirty things Nightingale has done in the past from someone else who was fired from Nightingale, and he is just sitting on it in case they ever try to tarnish his name. I've tried to let things lie where they are with Nightingale, but it seems to be coming back to haunt me like a ghost.
...Mikhail has some really high-powered lawyers on retainer... [Boyd J. Hawkins - Mauk, Miller, Hawkins PLLC] be careful. It's stalled because they're stalling it...I'd dig further into Mikhail's past and his employment with another for-profit school that went under in California [Heald College]. Feel free to connect with Aaron Nelson on LinkedIn - use my name in the invitation. I'll reach out to him, too.
Wikipedia article on Nightingale College - March 2021
Template:Short description Template:Multiple issues
Nightingale College is a for-profit college, headquartered in Salt Lake City, Utah. The college offers four nursing programs, the Associate of Science in Nursing, the Bachelor of Science in Nursing, the Registered nurse-to-BSN Program, and the Master of Science in Nursing Education Program. As of 2021, the college has satellite locations in 12 states. ( https://nightingale.edu/enrollment-areas Alaska, Colorado, Florida, Idaho, Iowa, Kansas, Nevada, Maryland, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Utah, Wyoming) (Robin Thompson Apr 2020 https://www.anchoragepress.com/news/nightingale-nursing-college-lands-in-alaska/article_e20f8856-78f7-11ea-81cd-e700a83377f6.html Nightingale Nursing College lands in Alaska Utah-based institution still on target to make Anchorage its 18th market in May Anchorage Press ) In the first 10 years of operations, more than 1000 student graduated. (KUTV https://kutv.com/news/local/nightingale-colleges-online-simulations-allowed-nursing-students-to-continue-education Nightingale College's online simulations allowed nursing students to continue education ) The College has consented to no longer admitting students into its associate degree program.
Nightingale voluntarily withdrew and lost their Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN) accreditation on March 15, 2021. ( https://nightingale.edu/accreditation-and-approvals Accreditation and Approvals ) ([https://www.acenursing.org/voluntary-withdrawal/ Voluntary Withdrawal From ACEN Accreditation)
- ==History==
Nightingale College was formed in 2010, and was originally "training students while seeking accreditation". In its 10 year history, the college has graduated 1141 people. (Brian Maffly,Utah puts nursing programs on notice over tests, Salt Lake Tribune, (October 20, 2012).)(Nightingale Colleg from 2010-2021.)
In April 2011, the college began offering the Associate of Science in Nursing (ADN) Program. The following year, the college was acquired by Nightingale College, LLC, a private Delaware limited liability company that was formed by Palm Ventures, LLC., a private-equity firm. ( http://www.palmventures.com/work/ Palm Ventures, LLC )
- ==Expansion==
Nightingale has 18 "cohorts" in 18 different "markets" (states). It is rapidly expanding through out the United States.
In 2020, Nightingale Nursing College started its first program in Alaska. (Nightingale Nursing College lands in Alaska. Nightingale College, a nationally accredited nursing education institution, will be leading its first Alaskan cohort starting May 2020.)
- == Criticism ==
- ===Defamation case against a whistleblower===
In 2020 Nightingale Nursing College filed suit in Utah against a whistleblower who had created a website against Nightingale claiming defamation.( Nightingale v. Bailey; Case No.: 200904684. First District of Utah. Nightingale was represented by Mauk Miller & Hawkins, PLLC. ) A second case was filed in Federal Court on February 19, 2021. ( February 19, 2021. Nightingale College v. Bailey. Justia. )
- === Current president's last college was closed by the US Department of Education ===
The current Nightingale President is Mikhail Shneyder. ((October 29, 2013), ABC 4 news interviews nightingale’s CEO Mikhail Schneider, nursing college Utah, ABC. )(Becoming a Nurse, ABC.)((April 5, 2012), Minutes Utah Education Committee Board of Nursing.)((November 6, 2014), Studio 5 with Brooke Walker, NBC.)(Nightingale College Offers New Nursing Education Program)
From 2009 to approximately 2012, Mikhail Shneyder worked at California's Heald College as the Vice President. Due to findings by the Department of Education of misrepresented job placement rates at certain programs of Heald College from July 2010–2015, the department made students eligible to have their debts canceled. Because of a lawsuit alleging that "Heald College...misrepresented job placement rates for certain programs".(How to Apply for Student Loan Forgiveness if You Attended Heald College, United States Department of Education.) Heald College was shut down on April 27, 2015.(Jill Tucker Corinthian, Heald colleges shut down abruptly, San Francisco Chronicle. April 26, 2015.)(Information About Debt Relief for Corinthian Colleges Students)(Education/Licensing Committee Meeting, State of California, Department of Consumer Affairs, (March 10, 2011) - "Heald College Baccalaureate Degree Nursing Program, Fresno Campus Representing Heald College were Mikhail Shneyder, RN, is Vice President of Allied Health Programs at Heald College Central Administrative Office" )(Minutes Utah Education Committee Board of Nursing, (April 5, 2012 - in which Shneyder explains he started working at Nightingale in March, 2012).)
- ==Accreditation==
Although the official Nightingale website aggregates the NCLEX passrate,(College Statistics, Nightingale College.) the NCLEX first time pass rate is well below national accreditation benchmark of 80%(Joanne Farley Serembus, EdD, RN, CNE, Improving NCLEX First-Time Pass Rates: A Comprehensive Program Approach, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/S2155-8256(16)31002-X (January 4, 2016). "...the current benchmark for the. NCLEX-RN® and NCLEX-PN® examinations is an average first- time pass rate of 80% over the most recent 3 years.") at 48.65% for the second quarter of 2017 and 54.5% for the first quarter of 2017.)Utah State Board of Nursing Registered Nursing Programs NCLEX-RN Licensure Examination Results (PDF), Utah Division of Occupational and Professional Licensing.) UPDATE: 3d Quarter 2019 = 46.34%, 2d Quarter 2019 = 50%, 1st Quarter 2019 = 63.38%, and overall 2018 = 53.01% [1].
- ===Other accreditations===
The school holds institutional accreditation or is approved by:
- Accrediting Bureau of Health Education Schools (ABHES),(ABHES Directory of Accredited Institutions)
- Utah State Board of Nursing.)List of Approved Nursing Programs (Utah only))
- Nightingale College's BDN and RN-to-BSN programs are accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education(Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education) (CCNE).
- Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education.(accreditation and approvals)
- National League for Nursing Commission for Nursing Education Accreditation (NLN CNEA).(National League for Nursing Commission for Nursing Education Accreditation (NLN CNEA) official page.)
Unlike other more established nursing colleges in the region, Nightingale College is not regionally accredited.(Member Institutions -Directory, Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU).)
- ===Former accreditation===
Nightingale voluntarily withdrew and lost their ACEN accreditation on March 15, 2021.(Accreditation and Approvals)(Voluntary Withdrawal From ACEN Accreditation)(ACEN) Inc (ACEN), formerly National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission, Inc. (NLNAC). But it has since been lost.)Accreditation and Approvals)
In the Spring 2016, the official status with ACEN was "Affirm Continuing Accreditation, Change Status to Continuing Accreditation with Warning", which is explained as a "Continuing Accreditation with Warning: A measure imposed by the ACEN Board of Commissioners following the determination of non-compliance with three (3) or more Accreditation Standards. Next review and follow-up action(s) are determined by the Board of Commissioners."(Notification of Commission Action Spring 2016 Accreditation Cycle, ACEN.)
In September 2019, Nightingale College had a "Continuing Accreditation for Good Cause", which ACEN defines as the "nursing program has not remedied deficiencies at the conclusion of its maximum monitoring period". ACEN found that "There is a lack of evidence that the expected level of achievement for first-time test-takers during the same 12-month period on the licensure examination has been met."(Notification of Commission Actions Spring 2019 Accreditation Cycle)
The low NCLEX pass rate was one of three failed standards that put Nightingale on continuing accreditation with warning with ACEN.(Notification of Commission Action Spring 2016 Accreditation Cycle, The program’s three-year mean for the licensure examination pass rate has not been at or above the national mean for the same three-year period.)
- ==See also==
- For-profit higher education in the United States
- Post University in Waterbury, Connecticut - A second for profit college also owned by Palm Ventures, LLC.
- Heald College
- Stevens–Henager College
- ==References==
- ==External links==
Where to file a complaint against Nightingale Nursing College
File a Complaint Against Nightingale Nursing College
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