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Southeast nursing students excel on licensure, certification exams

Southeast Missouri State University's Department of Nursing has announced its 2018 baccalaureate graduating classes have achieved a 96 percent pass rate on the National Council Licensure Examination-Registered Nurse (NCLEX-RN).

Fifty-one of 53 students who took the exam passed it, said Dr. Gloria Green, chair of Southeast's Department of Nursing.

This year's results are a continued tradition of Southeast students excelling significantly higher than the state and national averages, she said.

"We have a consistent record of high NCLEX-RN passage rates," Green said. "We are proud to admit excellent students who have demonstrated academic achievement. Our strong curriculum, nationally accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE), prepares our students for their exams and to launch a successful career in the health care industry."

The NCLEX-RN is the national licensure examination which allows graduates to be eligible for licensure in any state in the United States. The NCLEX-RN is administered for the Missouri State Board of Nursing by the National Council of State Boards of Nursing located in Chicago, Ill. The testing is a computerized adaptive format, meaning that each graduate has a different examination based on the national test plan. Graduates may take between 75 and 265 questions; and that number is determined by how the graduate answers each question, and the difficulty level of each question as the graduate progresses through the exam. The computer automatically shuts off once the candidate's success level has been determined. Results are communicated to the candidate via the individual state boards of nursing.

In addition, nursing graduate students taking the Family Practitioner (FNP) certification exam received a 100 percent pass rate.

Since 2013, graduates of Southeast's FNP program have achieved a 100 percent first-time pass rate, which is also well above the national average, Green said.

"Our FNP program prepares students to work in collaborative practice with physicians and provide care for family members of all ages," she said. "The program's consistent pass rate success is a testament to the quality of our curriculum and faculty and the dedication of our students."

Southeast nursing faculty provide academic and experiential expertise, said Green. They are clinical experts and hold students to a high standard of practice.

"Our faculty are role models of professional behavior for our students, and demonstrate a commitment to scholarship and practice," she said. "The faculty have a strong sense of commitment to the students as well, working individually with those who are struggling, and using established policies to provide tutoring and to allow second chances for students who may not succeed the first time."

The Southeast Department of Nursing is fully approved by the Missouri State Board of Nursing and accredited by the national organization Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE).