Nursing School Students Achieve 100 Percent Pass Rate On Neo-Natal Nurse Practitioner Exam

by Judy Long

The first two classes of graduates of the neo-natal master's degree program at Baylor University's Louise Herrington School of Nursing achieved a 100 percent pass rate on the Neonatal Nurse Practitioner Certification Examination in 2002 and 2003. Administered by the National Certification Corporation (NCC), the exam is the nationally recognized test to enter practice as a neo-natal nurse practitioner.
Baylor's two-year graduate program, one of only two neo-natal nurse practitioner programs in Texas, was initiated in 2000 with a start-up grant from the March of Dimes. On the two exams, Baylor nursing graduates have averaged scores of 742, compared with the national average of 634. One 2002 graduate scored a perfect score of 900 on the exam, which requires a score of 500 to be certified as a neo-natal nurse practitioner.
Dr. Frances Strodtbeck, associate professor of nursing and coordinator of the advanced neo-natal program, said students who complete the course earn a master of science degree with a major in neo-natal nursing. Entering students are already registered nurses holding undergraduate degrees.
For more information, contact Strodtbeck at the School of Nursing at (210) 820-3361.