Baylor Nursing Graduates Ace Certification Test
Recent graduates of Baylor University's Louise Herrington School of Nursing have once again scored significantly higher than the national average on a standardized nursing certification test, according to results released by the National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN).
All nursing graduates who wish to enter the profession are required to pass the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX). Of the 111 Baylor graduates who took the test in the last academic year, 105 passed on their first try - a 94.5 percent pass rate, one of the highest first-try pass rates in the history of Baylor's nursing program.
"I am very proud of our program and students," said Dr. Judy Lott, dean of Baylor's Louise Herrington School of Nursing. "Our consistent excellent scores on the NCLEX examination are the consequence of multiple factors that work together, including the high quality of students admitted to the program, excellent preparation that the students receive as freshmen and sophomores, an excellent curriculum and outstanding faculty."
The national average for those who pass the exam on their first try is around 85 percent. For five of the past six years, the rate of Baylor nursing students passing the certification test the first time has been above 90 percent.
Lott said Baylor's nursing program is distinctive because of the way in which the faculty have designed the curriculum to integrate the care of the whole person. This approach includes physical and spiritual care through a faculty-derived human needs framework, which views nursing not only as a rewarding profession, but as a means to minister to others.
The NCLEX examination is a multiple choice exam that requires the candidate to demonstrate they have sufficient knowledge for entry-level practice. The questions focus on four areas: safe, effective environment; health promotion and maintenance; psychosocial integrity; and physiological integrity. The questions could be about any age of the patient or condition.