'Frustration, disbelief:' Fresno State nursing student hopes for solution to accreditation issue

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- It's a potentially devastating blow to her academic career and something Joanne Beattie wasn't expecting.

"Frustration, anger, disbelief, outrage all kinds of things come up," she said.

After graduating from Fresno State's Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner program in August of 2018, the American Nurses Credentialing Center informed her the program wasn't accredited.

RELATED: Dozens of Fresno State nursing students told a 4-semester program they took was not accredited

"Besides being stunned and amazed I reached out to the school, and they said they were working on it. That kind of vague statement has been going on ever since," Beattie said.

In addition to three semesters of courses and $7,200 in tuition fees, "clinical hours we had to put in and log; testing oral testing all the work that goes into being in a full-time program," she said.

Now the family nurse practitioner wants a solution.

"I just want to sit for my boards and become a psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner. This isn't about wanting vengeance or anything along those lines," Beattie said.

Inspired by her time working as a medical officer with the Peace Corps, Joanne sought to make a difference by joining the industry.

"A good deal of my job had to do with psychiatry so when I came home I was wanting to branch out from family practice and I love doing psychiatry, and there was such a need," she said.

The university has apologized and reached out to the 60 students affected.

They say they are working on what solutions will be offered to students who finished the specialized program. A refund may be an option.