Fortis College

Fortis College in Columbus, Ohio ("Fortis-Columbus" or "the College") is responding to yourletter dated March 9, wherein you request a response to a complaint submitted to the BetterBusiness Bureau ("Revdex.com") by a former studentl This student was enrolled in the College'sAssociate Degree Nursing ("ADN") program from September 30,to January 2, 2015.The student's complaint alleges the following:Fortis College falsely represents its Associates Degree in Nursing program as anaccredited nursing programI found this out after over a year of expensive schooling thatFortis does not hold any accreditation for its nursing program when I talked to anotherinstitution about transferring to their program because I was disappointed in the educationI was receivingFortis's inability to maintain a consistent teaching staff and the staffnotable to teach the curriculum makes it and made it hard to be successfulThe requiredclinical rotations were not enforced therefore you were not able to learn through hands onexperience, you signed in that you were at the clinical site and leftI have had severalcounter parts call to ask ifthey were accredited and every time the response is yesNoneofmy credits will transfer to another institution due to the lack of accreditation of Fortis'snursing programThe Ohio Board ofNursing has approved Fortis to teach the program,this not an accreditationInstitutions teaching Nursing Programs should not be affordedthe opportunity to teach these programs if they are unable to attain the appropriateaccreditation for their program of studyFortis is a for profit company with no morals andno worries about the product or service they provideThey have stolen my money and mytime as I was trying to transition into a new career as well as hundreds to potentiallythousands of others who were made to believe that Fortis was accreditedMy next stepwith several other students that no longer attend Fortis due to their misrepresentation willbe a class action suit(Customer's Statement of the Problem)I As noted in the March 9, Revdex.com complaint, " the consumer's complaint and your response will be publicly[emphasis added] posted on the Revdex.com Web site" Due to the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, theCollege has omitted any personally identifiably student information from its responseExecutive Parkway, Suite " Westerville, OH [redacted] MrJ [redacted] Revdex.com Complaint ResponseMarch 25,20/5Each substantive concern raised by the student is addressed below.Concern:"Fortis College falsely represents its Associates Degree in Nursing program as an accreditednursing program."" ...Fortis does not hold any accreditation for its nursing program...""The Ohio Board ofNursing has approved Fortis to teach the program, this not an accreditation,""Institutions teaching Nursing Programs should not be afforded the opportunity to teach theseprograms if they are unable to attain the appropriate accreditation for their program of study."Response:Fortis-Columbus is institutionally accredited by the Accrediting Bureau of Bealth EducationSchools ("ABBES")ABBES is recognized by the U.SSecretary of Education as a specialized,national accrediting body determined to be a reliable authority as to the quality of trainingoffered by the educational institutions and programs it accreditsThe ADN program is includedwithin the College's grant of accreditation from ABBES (Exhibit A).The ADN program is also fully approved by the Ohio Board ofNursing ("OBN")The Collegerecognizes that the OBN's approval is not synonymous with "accreditation."Please see Exhibit B, a page from the school's catalog detailing the College's Accreditation,Licenses, and ApprovalsPrior to the student's emollment, he was provided with a schoolcatalog, which accurately and clearly described the Accreditation, Licenses, and Approvals ofthe CollegePlease see Exhibit C a copy of the school catalog acknowledgment form signed bythe student, which evidences that he received a copy of the catalog and committed to reading it.Concern:"None ofmy credits will transfer to another institution due to the lack of accreditation of Fortis'snursing program."Response:As previously mentioned, the ADN program at Fortis-Columbus is included within the College'sgrant of accreditation from ABBES (Exhibit A)Although the ADN program is included withinthe College's grant of accreditation, the acceptance of transfer credits is still controlled by theinstitution receiving the credit, not the institution awarding the creditThis distinction wasdisclosed to the student in the College's Transfer of Credit policy, which is also published in theschool's catalogPlease see Exhibit D, the Transfer of Credit policy that reads in part,"[t]ransfer of credit is always the decision of the individual college or university, and iscontrolled by the receiving (emphasis added) institutionAccreditation does not guarantee [redacted] Revdex.com Complaint ResponseMarch 25, 2015transfer of credits" Please see Exhibit C, a copy of the school catalog acknowledgment formsigned by the student, which evidences that he received a copy ofthe catalog and committed toreading it.Concern:"Fortis's inability to maintain a consistent teaching staff and the staffnot able to teach thecurriculum makes it and made it hard to be successful."Response:All instructors teaching in the ADN program at Fortis-Columbus are required to meet stringentstandards as set forth by the school's regulatory agencies, including the OBNExhibit E is anexcerpt of Rule 4723-5-from the Ohio Administrative Code, which outlines the minimumqualification criteria required of faculty who teach in a registered nursing education program.The nursing instructional staff in the ADN program currently consists oftwenty-nine instructorswith an average tenure of two years and nine months, all ofwhom comply with OBN Rule 47235-In addition to each ADN instructor possessing the required educational and occupationalexperience, all new instructors receive training in educational methods, testing and evaluation,and evidence strength in instructional methodology, delivery, and techniques within thirty daysof beginning instruction and annually thereafter.Fortis-Columbus also regularly surveys students using the DataMark survey instrumentThisinstrument generates information on student satisfaction with a specific academic course and theinstructor for that course, The DataMark surveys are objective, with data compiled and reportedby a third-partySurveys are completed by each nursing students at the end of each course in theprogramIn 2014, 85.49% of students enrolled in the ADN program responded affirmatively tothe question, "[m]y instructor had a good understanding of the course materiaL" 80.39%responded affirmatively to the question, "[0]verall I was satisfied with this instructor (withoutregard for course opinion)."Concern:"The required clinical rotations were not enforced therefore you were not able to learn throughhands on experience, you signed in that you were at the clinical site and left,"Response:Fortis-Columbus adheres to a strict attendance policy for the clinical experiences of all nursingstudentsExhibit F is an excerpt from the nursing student handbook detailing the attendancepolicy for nursing clinical experiences that take place at medical facilities where students areprovided with hanexperienceAll students must complete 100% of the scheduled clinicalAs noted in the March 9, Revdex.com complaint, " the consumer's complaint and your response will be publicly[emphasis added] posted on the Revdex.com Web site" Due to privacy concerns, personally identity instructorinformation has been omitted fi'om this response[redacted] Revdex.com Camplaint ResponseMarch 25, 20/5hoursThe College provides clinical instructors who are on site with the students during theclinical hours, and if a student leaves early, the student's attendance is correctly recorded.For example, Exhibit G is a copy of the student's attendance record from Medical SurgicalNursing I (NUR201), a course that requires each student to successfully complete clinical hours.Upon review, ninety clinical hours were required, but the student only attended seventyIf thestudent's allegations were accurate, then the College would not have known that he did notattend twenty ofthe scheduled ninety hours referenced in the exhibit.Exhibit H is a copy ofthe signed acknowledgment from the student that he had received a copyof his course syllabus for NUR20I and had been advised ofthe attendance and other coursepoliciesIf the student's allegations were in fact true, he had a responsibility to notify theclinical instructor, which he did not.Finally, State of Ohio Board of Career Colleges and Schools, by which the College is approvedto operate, has rules pertaining to student disclosureAccording to rule 3332-1-09, "[p]rior tocompleting an enrollment agreement, all potential students enrolled in an Ohio school mustreview and complete the state board of career colleges and schools student disclosure form asrequired by the board." Exhibit I is a copy of that State of Ohio Disclosure Form signed by thestudent.In closing, Fortis-Columbus regrets that the student who contacted the Revdex.com was "disappointed inthe education" he received while enrolled in the ADN programHowever, it is clear from theinformation provided above that his allegations are unfoundedNevertheless, we wish thisformer student the best ofluck with his future educational endeavors.Please do not ,hesitate to contact me if you require any additional informationSee attached

Fortis College Nursing Response: Fortis College Curriculum was designed to allow each student to progress with each course and building on one another The complainant stated that the Medical-Surgical course and clinical was not adequate for where they are in the curriculumThis is not trueThe course the student is referring to is Medical Surgical IThis is the first Medical Surgical class in their plan of study and the objective fit the clinical assigned At this point in their curriculum plan, the students are not ready or competent for complex acute care settingsDue to complex patients conditions and diagnosis seen in an acute settings, students need to be prepared at a properAs the curriculum progresses and the students become more competent they will have the opportunity to experience clinical in an acute care setting to include specialty areas such as OB In the incidents of losing clinical sites, it is because of a variety of reasons; not other schools, even though there is a lot of competition for clinical sites Faculty have left the college as with other businesses due to a variety of reasons, some very personal and unavoidable All clinical sites meet the objectives of the course and prepare our students for NCLEX

Revdex.com: I have reviewed the response made by the business, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me How do I arrange payment? Regards, [redacted]

Hello ***,Attached I have [redacted] usage report from December, and his signed membership agreementBelow is a message from my membership director regarding his account, as I said on the phone many attempts were made to contact [redacted] from our office and our billing company with no response, until he was contacted by our collection agencyBelow I have copied you on an email from ***, just to give you an idea what he is all about, many threats etcPlease let me know if you need anything else from me!ToddP.SI looked up [redacted] and could not find anything about a department of Law and Constitution!Todd H*** cid:[email protected]/[email protected] From: Shelly D*** Sent: Tuesday, March 01, 10:AMTo: Todd H***Subject: [redacted] Morrissey Usage report Todd, Here is his usage report showing usage through December of We show no records of calls from him until recently when he was contacted by collectionsWe do show numerous attempts to contact him at the phone number and address he provided to us at the time he signed up with the Fort Collins Club that were never returned because the phone number had been disconnectedWe set a courtesy cancel in May of after he never contacted us to cancel his membership or responded to our attempts to reach him by mailStacy-----------------------------------------------------------------------...⇄ ***,I have looked into your account after speaking with our collection agencyI also looked at your payment history and usageYou did use the Club in December of and we never received payment for that monthWe do not allow cancels over the phoneYou signed an agreement which I have sent over to the collection agency stating you understood this and that we have a day written cancel policy, so even if you called in January of 2015, you would owe us for the time you used the Club in December, and also January, and February of Since we have no written cancel formWe kept sending statements to your address you provided when you signed upWe did set a cancel date after a few months of no response to stop accruing a balance on your accountYou will have to speak with [redacted] now to get this cleared upWe cannot take this account out of collections since we did not receive payment for your last month's usage or written notification of cancelTheir number is [redacted] Stacy D*** Director of Membership Services e: [email protected] www.fortcollinsclub.netFrom: Todd H***Sent: Tuesday, February 02, 12:PMTo: Stacy D***Subject: FW: Membership concerns Todd H*** cid:[email protected]/[email protected] From: [redacted] [mailto: [redacted] @ [redacted] ] Sent: Monday, February 01, 10:PMTo: Todd H***; [redacted] ; [redacted] ***Subject: RE: Membership concerns Hello Todd: I am emailing to inform you of a most unfortunate eventA few weeks ago I was notified by my accountant in the US (I live in [redacted] ), that the FCC had sent a debt, allegedly owed by me to FCC, into collectionsI spoke with a young man at the agency (while in shock) who said that he would inquire into this for me, but has failed to return a callAt any rate, I had cancelled my membership (via call) with FCC - in which I was on a month to month agreement while temporarily employed with [redacted] County- during the process of moving to [redacted] As it turns out the FCC continued to charge me for months of use, even when I did not enter the gym, nor even live in the country at the time - and to top it off - sent the alleged debt to collections after a period of time (I didn't even receive a single call from FCC) All in all, I have had nothing but very positive experiences with FCC, and would recommend the club to anyone without hesitation, and in fact, I have done that very thing with other employees of [redacted] CountyYour staff are great and accommodating, and the facilities are both clean and exceptionalCan you please check into thisI would appreciate if you could withdraw this alleged debt, which in my opinion, FCC being an ethical business - makes sense; thereby preventing any sort of unnecessary further evaluations Thanks for your considerations, I hope things are well [redacted] *** [redacted] , [redacted] Department of Law and Constitution Attachments Preview attachment ***Musage.docWord***Musage.docPreview attachment Membership agreement 1.pdfPDFMembership agreement 1.pdfPreview attachment Membership agreement 2.pdfPDFMembership agreement 2.pdf

Fortis College Columbus received notification from the Revdex.com on February 18, that a complaint (complaint ID #: [redacted] 5)This response will address the concerns mentioned in her letter I got my immunizations from my personal health care provider and submitted those results to the collegeFortis has placed a charge on my account for more the [than] $they claimed to have administered-We have no record of Ms [redacted] ever bringing this concern to our attentionAfter looking through her records, we did see immunization records that show she received the service from her personal health care providerAs a result, the charge was removed from her accountFortis also requires that we get a lab bag that contains several iterms to complete the nursing programI [My] bag did not contain all of the items it was supposed to containI’m missing different items from the bag-The lab bag is assembled by our supplier, Diversa Medical SupplyIt arrives in our campus book store with a factory plastic security seal that is not broken until the student takes the bag into his/her possessionWhen Ms [redacted] received her bag, it had this same seal that every student’s bag hasI have also been charged for two books that I did not receiveOne of those book[s] were [was] credited back to my account but I am still being charge[d] for a microbiology book that I did not accept because I was able to get it from another student-Ms [redacted] initialed and dated on a record sheet every book she took out of the bookstoreThere are no book charges on her ledger on which she has not signed off and acknowledged receivingAfter going over that list to verify that she has not been charged, it was actually discovered that she has not been charged enoughHowever, we will overlook this and not add any charges to her account.We are required to keep a or better on all test[s] and then our homework will be factored in our gradeThis policy is fine but the problem is we have to wait and sometime[s] weeks before we know our test results-Campus policy indicates that students will receive graded tests scores within seven days of taking the testThat said, we are implementing some new strategies on campus to help our students become more successful test takers, and there were some kinks at the beginning of the quarter that caused a small delay in some of the students receiving their test scoresHowever, this was the exception for students in this caseThat said, we have an excellent strategy in place moving forward to increase the success of our students The bulk of this complaint boils down to a communication issueFortis resolves these types of issues to the satisfaction of our studentsIf these concerns would have brought to our attention, they would have been explained or dealt with immediately We welcome the opportunity to work through any other concerns she may have as she completes her Associate’s degree at Fortis College

I have been going to this school since September of Apart of the admissions process in to get immunizations I got my immunizations from my personal heath care provider and submitted those results to the college Fortis has placed a charge on my account for more the $for immunization they claimed to have administered I have tried to resolved this issue several times and it has not bee credited Fortis also requires that we get a Lab bag that contains several items to complete the nursing programI bag did not contain all of the items it was supposed to contain I'm missing different items from the bag I advised the business office of this situation and was told that I should not have broken the seal on the bag if it did not have everything in it Well I would not know if it had everything unless I opened the bagThe problem with not getting these materials is that one of them is a stethoscope which is needed to complete assignments and check offs So I don't

from: Todd H*** to: "[email protected]" date: Wed, Mar 2, at 2:PMsubject: *** ***,The fact that *** is currently living in *** limits my ability to collect on him, unless I hire a *** licensed companySo I will settle for the December payment.Todd Todd H***Owner/[email protected]

I have not received my financial aid checks from Fortis collegeI am a veteran so I should receive all of my Pell grant money because schooling is paid in full by the VA I've contacted the financial aid department numerous times and they always say that the check is on the wayThey claim one check was sent out on 1/16/and another on 1/30/(this one may be on the way still but I doubt it) but I just never receive these checksI just want my money on time like they get their money on timeI would not be complaining but the first check from pell grant to financial aid was received on 9/30/and the othe 12/16/and it should have been sent to me soon afterWe are going on almost months of them owning me about $worth of financial aid money

Please send a check or money order to the Fort Collins Club, for the amount of $at EProspect RdFort Collins, CO80525.Todd

Company's response below:From: *** ***Date: Thu, Dec 17, at 2:PMSubject: Case Number: ***To: *** ***>Cc: *** *** ***>Fortis College has reached out to our student regarding her
concernsUnfortunately, the remediation hours originally shown for our student did not meet the minimum standard required to retake the examIt was only after several weeks that the *** company was able to determine that the student had indeed completed the necessary hoursOnce this error was identified, the campus reached out to the student to schedule her for retestingThis would be the first step that must be successfully completed for her to return to classThe student was contacted on October 28th, and again on November 6th, about scheduling her tutoring and retestingThe student responded that she would get back to us but has notA voicemail message was also left on December 14, asking for her to contact the campusAs of this date, there has been no responseThe student also references an ungraded assignment in her complaintThe assignment in question has been graded and the student was informed of this during the November 6, conversationThe campus is willing to work towards resolution of the retesting and has offered tutoring prior to the test as wellWe are waiting for the student to respond. *** ***Fortis College *** *** *** *** *** *** ** ***

Complaint: ***
I am rejecting this response because:I have been in contact with the credit agency regarding my bill - they have informed me that they will not be collecting on the bill on behalf of the Fort Collins club due to 1) I live out of the country, and 2) that I am appealing the alleged debtWhat I find interesting is that MrH*** stated that there were multiple attempts to call me, saying my phone was cancelled, but the number on my contract is the same number that the collection agency made contact with me a few weeks ago when I found out about the bill.Once I heard from the collection agency I tried to contact MrH*** to work our an arrangement, in which he refused to respond to my emails asking for an appointmentClearly he was not interested in working out the debt even when I attempted at least times (documented)I have indicated to MrH*** that I would pay for the month of December due to usage in the early part of the month, but will not pay for any other portion of the billThis is fair and reasonableMrh*** cannot collect the debt in any other way, the collection agency will not collect the alleged debt (which I would exercise all my rights to reposed to), but I want to pay what I owe (month of December) as a matter of ethicsThe club does operate on a flexible manner as I called to re-instate a membership over the phone, and cancelled the way in December when I moved back home ***. I would ask the FCC accept my offer of resolution (pay the month of December), so that we can all move forward with our lives, and not waste and or utilize any more resources for an insignificant bill that cannot be collected on
Regards,
*** ***

Collections from the VA must be in accordance to program delivery and VA policies and regulations, Fortis is required to submit a veterans certifications to the VA each 6-week Mod. Meaning his tuition & applicable fees are divided so that it is equally submitted to the VA each
MOD. By doing this, his tuition and fees are, in most cases, not covered in full until the VA pays during the 2nd or sometimes 3rd mod. Until tution and fees are covered and the VA certifies the funds are available can we request (usually takes days). Once the funds are posted to the students account, and there is a credit balance on the students account can a check be cut for the credit balance on the account Financial Aid has reached out to this student so that we may further assist his needs

I went to this school to start my career in the medical field and started in July of and ended in June of and I am supposed to attend the graduation ceremony this year since they only have a year but I was told by another student that the one that is supposed to happen this month was canceled and the ceremony was supposed to be next week I guess but I was not notified when the ceremony was supposed to take place in the first place just that it was in September and I was not even told the dayTo come to find out by a follow student that it was canceled because it is too expensive and to not be notified by the school is unacceptableI have dealt with so much from that school that I WILL NOT recommend it to anyone else and I will not be furthering my career in the medical field at that school

ABSOLUTELY the WORST college to attendNone of the staff, including the Dean, communicates with the studentsWhen they get asked a question about error on their part, emails and phone calls are simply ignoredWhen confronted on campus, they are rude and refuse to help youThey are short staffed so there are professors teaching classes they do not have a clue aboutClinical is a mess to try and figure out because they are never set until the day of, so good luck with finding a baby sitter or changing your work schedule! The staff in admissions is greatThat is where the greatness endsThey are truly a horrible schoolI owe them money for sitting the first day in class one semesterNow they wont even give me UNOFFICIAL transcriptsIt is all about power with themPLEASE do not attend this schoolThey lose your paperwork and are a complete hot mess

Worst school everPromised hands on classes which were a liePromised small classes also a lie$20,down the drainDo not come to this school for the havac program you will regret itStudents and teachers have nothing good to say about this schoolLAB IS A BIG JOKE!!!! The stuff does not even work you are limited to working tools and equipment so your going to have funI WANT MY MONEY BACK FORTIS TRASH COLLEGE

Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me
How do I arrange payment??
Regards,
*** ***

Hello ***,Attached I have *** usage report from December, and his signed membership agreementBelow is a message from my membership director regarding his account, as I said on the phone many attempts were made to contact *** from our office and our billing company with no response, until
he was contacted by our collection agencyBelow I have copied you on an email from ***, just to give you an idea what he is all about, many threats etcPlease let me know if you need anything else from me!ToddP.SI looked up *** *** and could not find anything about a department of Law and Constitution!Todd H***? cid:[email protected]? Owner/[email protected]? From: Shelly D***? Sent: Tuesday, March 01, 10:AMTo: Todd H***Subject: *** Morrissey Usage report? Todd,? Here is his usage report showing usage through December of We show no records of calls from him until recently when he was contacted by collectionsWe do show numerous attempts to contact him at the phone number and address he provided to us at the time he signed up with the Fort Collins Club that were never returned because the phone number had been disconnectedWe set a courtesy cancel in May of after he never contacted us to cancel his membership or responded to our attempts to reach him by mail.? Stacy---------------------------------------------------------------------------...⇄ ***,I have looked into your account after speaking with our collection agencyI also looked at your payment history and usageYou did use the Club in December of and we never received payment for that monthWe do not allow cancels over the phoneYou signed an agreement which I have sent over to the collection agency stating you understood this and that we have a day written cancel policy, so even if you called in January of 2015, you would owe us for the time you used the Club in December, ? and also January, and February of Since we have no written cancel formWe kept sending statements to your address you provided when you signed upWe did set a cancel date after a few months of no response to stop accruing a balance on your accountYou will have to speak with *** *** *** now to get this cleared upWe cannot take this account out of collections since we did not receive payment for your last month's usage or written notification of cancelTheir number is ? ***.? ? ? ? ? Stacy D***? ? ? ? ? ? Director of Membership Services? ? ? ? ? ? e: [email protected]? ? ? ? ? ? ? www.fortcollinsclub.netFrom: Todd H***Sent: Tuesday, February 02, 12:PMTo: Stacy D***Subject: FW: Membership concerns? Todd H***? cid:[email protected]? Owner/[email protected]? From: *** *** [mailto:***@***]? Sent: Monday, February 01, 10:PMTo: Todd H***; *** ***; *** ***Subject: RE: Membership concerns? Hello Todd:? I am emailing to inform you of a most unfortunate eventA few weeks ago I was notified by my accountant in the US (I live in ***), that the FCC had sent a debt, allegedly owed by me to FCC, into collectionsI spoke with a young man at the agency (while in shock) who said that he would inquire into this for me, but has failed to return a callAt any rate, I had cancelled my membership (via call) with FCC - in which I was on a month to month agreement while temporarily employed with *** County- during the process of moving to ***? ? As it turns out the FCC continued to charge me for months of use, even when I did not enter the gym, nor even live in the country at the time - and to top it off - sent the alleged debt to collections after a period of time (I didn't even receive a single call from FCC)? ? All in all, I have had nothing but very positive experiences with FCC, and would recommend the club to anyone without hesitation, and in fact, I have done that very thing with other employees of *** CountyYour staff are great and accommodating, and the facilities are both clean and exceptional.? Can you please check into thisI would appreciate if you could withdraw this alleged debt, which in my opinion, FCC being an ethical business - makes sense; thereby preventing any sort of unnecessary further evaluations.? ? Thanks for your considerations, I hope things are well.? *** *** *** *** ***? *** ***, ***Department of Law and Constitution? ? Attachments? ? Preview attachment ***Musage.docWord***Musage.docPreview attachment Membership agreement 1.pdfPDFMembership agreement 1.pdfPreview attachment Membership agreement 2.pdfPDFMembership agreement 2.pdf

Revdex.com:Ok, thank you.
I have reviewed the response made by the business, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
Regards,
[redacted]

Initial Business Response /* (1000, 7, 2015/10/26) */
October 19, 2015
[redacted]
Re: Case #[redacted]: Mrs. [redacted]
Dear Ms. [redacted],
This is in response to...

the complaint activity report placed with your office in regards to the Practical Nursing (PN) program at Fortis College, Ravenna, Ohio. The progression policy for the PN program is very stringent. It is in accordance with requirements by the Ohio Board of Nursing and has been approved by that same agency. The progression policy states the following:
A student in a nursing program is permitted to continue his or her enrollment in the program after earning one failing grade in a nursing and/or required science course. Nursing courses are those with an NUR or PNR course code prefix; required science courses are anatomy and physiology, nutrition, general biology, and microbiology. Failure is defined as achieving less than a 78% score on objective testing content (see Nursing Student Handbook for definition of objective testing) or not achieving 78% of the total course grade points. A second failure to successfully complete a nursing and/or a required science course will result in dismissal from the program except in cases of an approved waiver as outlined below.
A student who fails for the first time to achieve the required 78% passing score in one of the science courses listed above may retake the course and petition for a waiver that, when successfully completed as specified below, will exclude the first failing grade from counting towards the two-course failure limit that would result in dismissal from the program. A student is allowed only one waiver for the aggregate of all science courses in the entire nursing program. The petition must be made in writing and submitted to the Dean/Director of Nursing and the Dean/Director of Education or Campus President jointly for consideration.
When repeating a failed science course under the waiver petition, the following will apply:
A student who achieves a grade of 83% or higher will pass the course and will not have his or her original failing grade in the class counted towards the two-course failure limit for nursing and required science courses.
A student who achieves a grade between 78% and 82% (grades are not rounded) will pass the course. However, the original failing grade in the class still counts towards the two-course failure limit. A second failure to successfully complete a nursing and/or a required science course will result in dismissal from the program.
A student who achieves a grade less than 78% will fail the course a second time and will be dismissed from the program.
The privilege to petition a waiver DOES NOT apply to any failing grade in a Nursing course or withdrawal from a science course.
The course repeat limitation does not apply to the capstone course if the student has failed only due to not achieving the required score on the comprehensive competency exam.
Refer to the Withdrawal policy for information on the number of times a student may withdraw from a course while enrolled in a nursing program.
In Mrs. [redacted]'s situation, the policy was followed accordingly. During Mrs. [redacted]'s first term in the PN program, she received an unsuccessful grade in Basic Nursing Skills (PNR104) receiving a 77.30% C grade in the course. Per the policy, Mrs. [redacted] did not attain the 78% objective requirement and must retake the course. As this is a pre-requisite course for the next terms courses, Mrs. [redacted] was unable to continue forward in the program. The PNR104 course was not being offered the following term and would be required to take a 12-week term off until the next offering of the course at the Ravenna campus. The Cuyahoga Falls campus was offering the course and Mrs. [redacted] was able to transfer that campus.
Mrs. [redacted] was successful at the Cuyahoga Falls campus for the PNR104 course as well as completing a second term successfully completing Foundations of Nursing (PNR106), Gerontological Nursing (PNR108), and Pharmacology (PNR105) there. After completing this term, Mrs. [redacted] requested to return to the Ravenna campus to complete the program.
In July 2015, Mrs. [redacted] returned to the Ravenna campus. She was scheduled for Medical Surgical Nursing I (PNR201), Mental Health Nursing (PNR200), and Pediatric Nursing (PNR204). Throughout the term, tutoring is offered and available for free to all students including Mrs. [redacted]. When a student is showing signs of struggle, he/she is scheduled a tutoring session to aid in his/her success in the course. Mrs. [redacted] did take advantage of this on several occasions. Throughout the term, Karen Howell, Director of Nursing worked with [redacted].
Mrs. [redacted] was not successful in two (2) courses at the end of the term. She received a 73.56% C in Medical Surgical Nursing I (PNR201) and 73.51% C in Pediatric Nursing (PNR204). By receiving two (2) unsuccessful grades in the same term, Mrs. [redacted] was unable to continue in the program due to the progression policy stated above. According to the policy, "a second failure to successfully complete a nursing and/or a required science course will result in dismissal from the program except in cases of an approved waiver as outlined below."
The policies are in place to guide students to success in the licensing examination required in the State of Ohio. The Ohio Board of Nursing approved our program and the policies in place for the program. Our success rates in the NCLEX examination for the current year are at 88% passage rate.
Finally, Mrs. [redacted] was successful at the Ravenna campus for another program; she completed the Medical Assisting program and graduated on December 18, 2009.
If you require more information, please contact me at [redacted] phone at [redacted]. Thank you for your inquiry.
Sincerely,
Belinda S[redacted]
Dean of Education
Cc: Student File

I am rejecting this response.  Here's why:The ABHES website does not reference Fortis on any level as having accreditation for their Nursing Program. On that same website, the only accreditation referenced is for the surgical program (unless this has been changed within the past week).Fortis employs confusing and grossly misleading tactics to appear to prospective students that their Nursing Program is accredited - as an example, they purposefully place their Nursing Program under the ABHES accreditation in their handbook.  I have a copy of this.  Both the administration office staff - and the President - also purport that the Nursing program is accredited.  They are, simply and alarmingly, banking on the fact that prospective students don't fully understand what an authentic accreditation really means (example, the the Commission on Colligate Nursing Education - CCNE is an accreditation that matters). The other telltale sign that Fortis' "accreditation" is worthless in that other schools don't except their credits, even if you graduate from the ADN program.   There may be some exceptions here for very small - and second rate - schools that will accept their 'degree' into their BSN program.  I myself called nearly 10 area schools and was told the same thing over and over again - that I will need to either start from the beginning or take a large number of prerequisite classes before beginning the BSN.  Conversely, attending a fully accredited school means you can easily transfer any / all credits over.  Fortis also falsely represents that you can get a position at any hospital system in the Columbus Ohio area which is absolutely not true.  My resolution is a complete refund from Fortis due to their false representation and me having to start from the beginning in a new nursing program.  Fortis preys on individuals trying to better their lives or make a career change with a 'smoke and mirror' routine.  They have cost me nearly $30,000 and 15-months of my life I cannot get back.  Fortis is about taking money without providing the services promised.  My next steps will be a class action suit as I am not the only student that has been wronged - the newspapers, Channel 10 news, Facebook and every possible social media outlet will know what they have put me and others through. I am in hopes Fortis will do the right thing by refunding my tuition.  If not I will continue my pursuit for justice.  Please do your due diligence and you will see that Fortis continues to falsely represent itself in many different ways. The complaints are all over the internet, I am amazed that  no one has done something about it yet.
Finally - here's the reality of how they game the system - this is as of 7:09 this evening.  You tell me how they are being clear with laypeople who are unable to protect themselves from these predators...this is a flat out crime. [redacted]Hello, are you interested in learning more information on our programs here at Fortis?I would be happy to help! May I have your first and last name please, so I can better assist you?Visitorhello, can you tell me if your nursing program in columbus ohio is accredited?[redacted]Yes, we are accredited! However, each program is accredited differently. What I can do for you is get you in touch with one of our program specialists directly from the campus, and they will be more than happy to go over the specific accreditation details about the program with you.Just in case you request information to be emailed to you, what would be a good email address to have on file for you?Visitorcan you tell me what the accreditation in the nursing program is before I give you my personal information?[redacted]I do apologize I am with the outreach department and since I cover a large amount of campuses I do not have that detailed information you are requesting.Visitorok but the program is accredited? or you don't know?[redacted]Yes all of our schools are accredited.7:06 pmVisitorok great...thank you...I left the main office my contact information.[redacted]Thank you for contacting Fortis College, good luck with furthering your education, and have a great day! Should you need further assistance, you may contact us Monday through Friday, 9 AM to 9 PM (EST).
[redacted]