MPCC nursing students attain 100 percent NCLEX pass rate

Mid-Plains Community College Associate Degree Nursing students achieved a 100 percent pass rate on their NCLEX-RN exams this year. It’s the first time since 2012 for the accomplishment.

“This 100 percent pass rate for our ADN students is phenomenal,” said Dr. Jody Tomanek, vice president of Academic Affairs and NPCC. “The faculty put in so much work to ensure that our students are getting the best education possible, and the students are responding by working hard to become the best possible nurses they can be. I couldn’t be prouder of the faculty and our students.”

The NCLEX exam tests the competency of nursing school graduates in the U.S. and Canada, according to the National Council of State Boards of Nursing, which develops the exam.

Its purpose is to determine if a graduate can safely begin practice as an entry level nurse. The exam tests application and analysis using the knowledge grads learned in college and also tests their abilities to think critically and make informed decisions.

The NCLEX-RN exam that the Mid-Plains ADN students took is the same one taken by students pursing a Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree.

“I cannot express how proud I am of the ADN Class of 2023 and their 100 percent NCLEX pass rate,” said Dr. Kathy Harrison, MPCC director of nursing. “I am blessed to have a highly qualified faculty that has put a lot of time and energy into helping these students obtain their goal of becoming registered nurses.”

She attributes the 100 percent pass rate to several changes that have been made to the ADN program.

“A few that have made the most impact are increasing the admission GPA to a 3.0, implementing a preceptor experience in the last five weeks of the program and starting a NCLEX prep course,” Harrison said.

The preceptor experience pairs a student with an experienced nurse for 84 hours of clinical, which helps bridge the gap between being a student and becoming a professional nurse.

The students also take two mock exams in the NCLEX prep course in which they develop a study plan for NCLEX based off their mock exam results.

“I think Art Williams says it best – ‘I'm not telling you it’s going to be easy; I’m telling you it’s going to be worth it’,” said Harrison. “Nursing school is not an easy journey, but when you pass the NCLEX it is well worth it.”

As of Friday, the Licensed Practical Nursing class of 2023 also had a 100 percent pass rate with only two students left to take the NCLEX-PN.