TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — A resident of Lakeland sought help from 8 On Your Side after joining a nursing program in 2023. She claims she completed the coursework, but questions if it has all been in vain.

“I’m in my 50s, so this was it for me, and that’s where my dream was shattered it became a nightmare to me,” Margaret Reid said.

This local mother took out a loan of $37,000 to advance her education, but after failing the school’s final course, she claims she was informed of her dismissal from the program. Now she fears she has invested her time and money in a degree she may never receive.

With 15 years of experience as an LPN, Reid aspired for better opportunities and higher pay to support her family, leading her to return to school to become an RN. Reid alleges that Jersey College in Tampa didn’t provide a means to complete her degree, though the nursing school denies these allegations.

Reid enrolled in the 15-month nursing program at Jersey College’s Tampa campus back in May of 2023. The program touts no pre-requisites, that all costs are inclusive, and that the degree is fully accredited. Reid was sold. She took out a $37,000 loan to pay for it. She thought everything was going well until she reached the school’s final course.

“I don’t understand how you can get through an entire program, and I pass every class never had to repeat not one class and then I’m done,” Reid said.

That final course is called leadership. Reid needed a 73 to pass the leadership exam. She got a 71. She said she was stunned.

“Nobody can actually prepare you for what those exams are,” Reid said. “Usually I don’t know what you’re going to get into because it’s everything from what you first started, so you don’t know what to study.”

Reid wanted to know what went wrong so she could learn from her mistakes, but said the school’s dean didn’t offer any feedback. So, she hired a tutor and took the course again and got another failing grade. Now Reid said she has no nursing degree, but plenty of debt.

“If the state board tells you that you can go and take the exam three times and fail it before they make you do remedial, and then they allow you to come back so how can in school that you complete the whole program, just say you’re out just like that, I don’t get it,” Reid said.

8 On Your Side reached out to Jersey College for answers. A spokesperson shared this statement about the program. The school said that the leadership course is required to take the final “National Council Licensure Examination”, or NCLEX:

Jersey College is deeply committed to supporting our students so they are prepared to provide top-notch medical care to our community.  Our faculty upholds rigorous academic standards to foster excellence and integrity, ensuring graduates are well-prepared for safe nursing practice. Jersey College’s Tampa campus has graduated more than 2,000 nurses since our opening in 2008. More than 90% of our students pass the NCLEX exam on their first attempt. In addition to the Tampa campus, Jersey College also has a number of hospital-based campuses offered in coordination with leading Florida healthcare systems. These campuses exist largely due to the quality of the College’s programs and the student-centric focus of our institution. A significant number of our graduates have been employed at Florida’s best healthcare facilities such as Tampa General Hospital, BayCare, Moffit Cancer Center, and more, a testament to the quality of our programs.  In Summer 2024, 21 of 22 students in Tampa passed the referenced nursing course. Despite three months of subsequent one-on-one remediation, the non-passing student failed the course a second time. Since Fall 2023, only 1 other of the 82 students who took the course faced a similar outcome. We only award degrees when students demonstrate safe practice and competency in nursing.

“You might have a 90% passage rate, but what are the percentages of students that are not even getting through?” Reid said. “I have more years behind me than I have in front of me. I don’t have another 56 years to decide to go into another program or another 40 grand. I need to have answers. I need someone to reach out to me.”

Reid said she believes there must be another way to help students who have succeeded in every course except this final one, so that they can still earn their nursing degrees.