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Berkshire Community College Nursing Program Receives Warning From State

A Berkshire Community College pennant at an open house earlier in 2018.

The Massachusetts Board of Registration in Nursing has issued a warning and a report to the nursing program at Berkshire Community College in Pittsfield.

The nursing board found the program failed to comply with state regulations. Among the conclusions were that faculty were unable to articulate admissions criteria and there was a lack of policies on how records are maintained.

Ellen Kennedy, the president Berkshire Community College, said that the findings weren't a complete shock.

"Some of it I wasn't surprised to learn about, and others I was," she said. "We've actually already begun to address all of the areas, and we are anxiously looking forward to submitting a full report on how we've addressed the issues they've identified."

That report is due in September.

This comes after the college reported a drop in the percentage of nursing students who passed the licensing exam.

BCC attributes that, in part, to how the results are calculated. It also noted few students attended training sessions for the test.

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Before joining New England Public Media, Alden was a producer for the CBS NEWS program 60 Minutes. In that role, he covered topics ranging from art, music and medicine to business, education and politics.