As the Director of an LPN program in Virginia, the proposed changes actually would not impact my program very much.  The LPN program I oversee already adheres to strict admission, planning, implementation, and evaluation processes that are being considered.  The data contained in the introduction about the regualtory changes is evidence that some measure of quality improvement needs to occur in Virginia to ensure our nurses are meeting the national standard on NCLEX.  My program has achieved a 100% pass rate this year (up from 62% in 2008 and 85% in 2009) mainly due to improvements in curriculum design and implementation.  We added a mandatory live NCLEX review as well as NCLEX based compentency testing software.  In addition, we tightened our admission criteria so that the caliber of students is based on academic potential not profit potential.  Clinical placement has impacted us only mildly.  We have focused on preparing a well-rounded clinician who can function in virtually any environment.  Our students also participate in a 160-hour preceptorship in the final month of school, which we feel is another contribution to our stellar pass rate.

In my opinion, the proposed changes present a unique opportunity for Virginia programs to elevate the degree of competency achieved by graduates.  Our school is an example of this based on "loose" data.