Nursing students received a 95% pass rate on their national exam.
Upon graduating from the Kramer School of Nursing, students take the National Council Licensure Examination to obtain their nursing license. The exam is 265 questions and concerns the safety of patients, said Dr. Diana Blackmon, chairwoman of the Bachelor of Science in Nursing program.
Blackmon, an associate professor of nursing, has been chairwoman of the department for three years.
“When I took over, the school’s average passing rate was 82%, which is also the national average, and we wanted to do much better than that,” she said.
To achieve a 95% pass rate, Kramer officials implemented an admissions test on which students have to score a certain percentage to be accepted into the nursing school. Additionally, the professors formed a testing committee that meets every week to review students’ exams and provide the most diverse and accurate feedback possible, Blackmon said.
“We’re creating better candidates of our students, and it seems to be working very well,” she said.
Drew Thielen, nursing senior, said she noticed a change after her first semester when classes switched from having four main exams throughout the semester to having more condensed tests every week.
“It made it a lot easier because you weren’t just trying to study and cram a whole bunch of information into your head at once,” Thielen said.
Like most nursing schools, Thielen said Kramer makes their tests difficult so the students retain the information.
“You should know almost everything you need to pass the NCLEX,” she said. “After your two years of nursing, the exam should just be a review.”
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