VSU Nursing Students Outperform National Average on NCLEX

Valdosta State University School of Nursing students exceeded the national average for first-time pass rates on the 2023 National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses (NCLEX-RN). Pictured are two students working inside the College of Nursing and Health Sciences' Simulated Training Encounters with Patients (STEP) Center, where they use concepts taught in the classroom to safely practice a medical procedure they may someday perform in real life on real patients.

VALDOSTA — Valdosta State University School of Nursing students exceeded the national average for first-time pass rates on the 2023 National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses (NCLEX-RN).

Administered by the National Council of State Boards of Nursing, the NCLEX-RN measures a nursing candidate’s judgment and decision-making abilities as well as the quality of VSU’s undergraduate nursing programs. The exam helps to ensure all nursing students are graduating with a standardized set of skills and knowledge, no matter where they pursue their training.  

Nursing students take the exam after earning the Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN). Those who pass the NCLEX-RN demonstrate that they are equipped to deliver high-quality care and improve patient outcomes by assessing patient needs, developing care plans, and preventing adverse events.  

VSU’s July 2023 and December 2023 graduating classes had a 100 percent first-time pass rate on the NCLEX-RN. The national average first-time pass rate is 87 percent.

“A BSN is the gold standard for entry level nursing,” said A. Paige Krispin, undergraduate nursing program chair at VSU and a certified nurse practitioner. “It opens doors to more job and advancement opportunities, greater autonomy, and higher earning potential. It also improves the quality of patient care and patient safety, including lower odds of mortality and failure to rescue.”

VSU’s School of Nursing, part of the College of Nursing and Health Sciences, offers a traditional BSN program and an accelerated BSN program for students who hold a bachelor’s degree in another subject area and want to earn a second one in nursing.

According to the National Center for Health Workforce Analysis, Georgia is expected to have a 21 percent shortage of registered nurses by 2035, the second highest estimated shortage in the nation. The growing need for nurses in the Peach State is due, at least in part, to an aging general population in need of expanded healthcare services and an aging nursing workforce that will soon retire.

VSU is committed to attracting, recruiting, admitting, retaining, and graduating BSN nursing students who have what it takes to become pioneers in patient care, make a positive impact in the healthcare field, and change lives. The School of Nursing understands the role it plays in ensuring all Georgians, especially those in rural and underserved areas, have access to high quality healthcare.   

“I congratulate the hard work of our dedicated faculty who continually strive to ensure student success, progression, and graduation,” said Dr. James Pace, dean of the College of Nursing and Health Sciences at VSU. “Georgians deserve caring, professional nurses, and the School of Nursing has a well-established track record of graduating nurses who are practice ready and capable of success in a variety of patient care settings.”

On the Web:
https://www.valdosta.edu/colleges/nursing-and-health-sciences/