January, 2004
Graduates
and faculty of the Associate of Science in Nursing Program are celebrating the
success of the 2003 nursing graduates on NCLEX-RN, the national licensing exam
for registered nurses. During 2003, all six graduates who tested, passed
NCLEX on the first try. Faculty attribute the success to many factors,
most particularly the hard work that the students did to prepare themselves to
take NCLEX.
Additionally, the faculty instituted a program change that requires students to review for the exam during their final semester in the program. Utilizing computer software that simulates the NCLEX-RN exam, students are required to complete ten practice exams scoring at least 80%. Students also take the HESI (Health Education Systems, Inc.) Exit Exam which is required in many nursing programs throughout the country. While performance on the HESI Exit Exam is not tied to graduation, it does give students a realistic appraisal of their probability of passing NCLEX-RN.
The graduates are the third class to complete the Associate of Science in Nursing program under a new curriculum which was instituted, in part, to improve student performance on the licensing exam. Since that curriculum was instituted, 92% of the graduates have passed the NCLEX-RN exam on the first try.