CVCC’s nursing exam passing rates exceed state, national averages

Chattahoochee Valley Community College’s nursing students exceeded the state and national passing rates on the certification exam in the 2017 Alabama Board of Nursing year.

CVCC’s passing rate on the National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses is 95.2 percent — third-highest out of 25 schools in the Alabama Community College System, according to the news release from CVCC. The national average is 86.9 percent, and the state average is 90.6 percent.

CVCC’s NCLEX passing rate for Practical Nurses is 100 percent for the fourth straight year — one of seven ACCC schools with a perfect score in 2017, the news release says. The national average is 93.8 percent and the state average is 91.9 percent.

Resa Lord, chairwoman of the CVCC Health Sciences Department, said in the news release, “In Fall 2016, CVCC implemented the new statewide concept-based curriculum adopted by the Alabama Community College System. Concept-based learning in nursing education has been evolving across the country in the past decade.”

Concept-based learning in nursing allows faculty to deliver and manage a large amount of course content through student engagement and development of critical thinking skills using evidence-based practice, the news release says. The classroom focus has shifted from a teacher-centered learning environment to a student-centered learning environment, where student performance drives classroom and clinical activities.

“With the implementation of a one-plus-one curriculum and stackable credentials,” Lord said, “the highly competitive admission process has allowed CVCC to admit the strongest students into the program.”

Stackable credentials in the CVCC nursing program mean that a student is eligible after his or her first semester to take the Certified Nursing Assistant examination, the news release says. After a third semester, the student is eligible to take the NCLEX-PN for Licensed Practical Nursing, and after a fifth semester, the student is eligible to take the NCLEX-RN examination to become a Registered Nurse.

“This is one of the largest cohorts we have had in recent years with a high retention rate over the recent three semesters,” Lord said. “Of the 14 students who have taken the NCLEX-PN, all 14 are continuing on with the program to finish the AAS and write the NCLEX-RN after graduating in the spring. This is a very service oriented group of students, having served our community with (Hurricane) Irma relief, community health fairs and at the Steeplechase.”

CVCC’s nursing programs also maintain a job placement rate of 100 percent, according to the news release.

For those individuals who are LPN or Licensed Paramedic, mobility program applications will be available starting Dec. 15 on the CVCC website. For anyone else wishing to start the nursing program, applications will be available Feb. 1 on the CVCC website.

This story was originally published December 5, 2017 at 10:26 AM with the headline "CVCC’s nursing exam passing rates exceed state, national averages."