Nursing students post back-to-back perfect passing rates
July 26, 2010

The good news just keeps coming for the Nursing Department at LaGrange College.  For the second year in a row, every member of the graduating nursing class passed the National Council Licensure Examination, the licensing test for nurses. According to the National Council of State Boards of Nursing, the average passing rate to date for 2010 is 91.55 percent for students in baccalaureate programs.

Dr. Celia Hay, Chair of the Nursing Department, said everyone in the department had high expectations for the Class of 2010.

“Every four years NCLEX changes the test, and this year was the first year for the new test,” she said. “We didn’t know what to expect, but we felt really good about this class.”

Hay said the nursing faculty works hard to ensure that their charges are prepared.
“Our students do so well because of the toughness of our curriculum,” she said. “Sometimes they don’t appreciate that toughness while they are here, but they do after they finish and take the NCLEX.”

 The program helps the students prepare for the exam.

“We have assessment tests throughout to make sure the students know the material,” Hay said. “And every student must take an exit exam before they graduate.”

They also are required to take an NCLEX preparation course just prior to graduation to help them review what they have learned throughout the nursing program and to familiarize them with the format for the licensure exam. Hay said all the pieces are in place to help students be successful.

“And a 100-percent pass rate is our goal, from now on.”

Another point of pride is the program’s success in getting students employed.

“We generally have 100-percent job placement,” she said. “We are fortunate to have the Sims Scholarship, where students agree to work at West Georgia Health to repay funding for their education. Exceptional nursing alumni have blazed a trail for our new graduates at many hospitals.”

The department will be celebrating another first this fall, as it welcomes its largest junior class.

“We’ve accepted 45 into the incoming class, the largest ever in our bachelor of science in nursing program,” she said. “We continue to have 75 to 80 applicants for the 40 to 45 slots we have available.”

This class will be the first to utilize the new Human Patient Simulator. It is anatomically precise and can be programmed to imitate more than 100 clinical experiences.

“We are so excited about this new tool that will be invaluable to our instruction,” Hay said. “We will be training on it Aug. 16-17, and it will be ready to go when fall classes begin.”