By Frances Inabnet
For four consecutive years, Samford University’s nursing program has had a 100% pass rate for the NCLEX-RN, the National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses.
Statistically, across the nation, 87% of individuals pass the NCLEX on their first attempt, while the pass rate for second attempts decreases to 45%. It was also shown that those with a bachelor’s degree in nursing had a 90% pass rate as compared to those with an associate’s degree.
Samford’s program through the Moffett and Sanders School of Nursing has provided students with a comprehensive education, preparing graduates for the NCLEX.
The NCLEX is an online test that is composed of multiple-choice questions that address a variety of complex situations that nurses face daily. The test is specifically focused on measuring clinical judgment in graduates to see if they can take care of patients in events of crisis.
As a result of the NCLEX being a scenario-based test, Samford’s hands-on nursing program constructs its curriculum to educate students on how to respond appropriately to not only stressful moments on the job but also in response to the NCLEX’s multiple choice questions.
Samford’s nursing courses such as Clinical Preceptorship, Senior Seminar, Community Health Nursing and their Senior Capstone Project, equip students to successfully pass the exam and to be prepared for the future.
As a result of Samford’s highly interactive nursing program, students are prepared to face real-world scenarios in the hospital, thus adding to their knowledge and experience in advance of their taking of the NCLEX.
“Something unique to Samford is that the faculty are really engaged in the classroom and during clinical and are also great at being available to students,” said Lora Shelton, Professor and Senior Associate Dean of the Moffett and Sanders School of Nursing.
Students also complete 16 hours of clinicals per week with a small-scale student-to-faculty ratio, which is another contributing factor to their success.
“We keep our groups in the hospital really small, so we feel like that gives students a lot of interaction with faculty,” said Shelton.
Samford nursing students also take structured exams throughout the program that emulate the NCLEX, further preparing them for their future.
“Every class and homework are all designed to help prepare for the INCLEX”, says Sariah Scherrei, a sophomore nursing major.
The repetition of students taking standardized tests not only creates familiarity with the material, but it also allows for the process of remediation to occur.
Post graduation, 95%-96% of Samford nursing students become employed in Birmingham and in the rest of the United States. Samford’s nursing program is respected for its hands-on learning process, thus preparing students adequately for the NCLEX.
