Oct. 3, 2024 – Northwest Mississippi Community College’s School of Health Sciences announced that their latest class of Practical Nursing students passed the NCLEX with a 100% passing rate. This marks a trend for Northwest, with the past few semesters of Senatobia campus Practical Nursing students passing the exams at 100% pass rates since 2021. The national average is 88.9% for the pass rate on the NCLEX-PN, according to Jessica Barham, lead instructor at the Senatobia campus for Practical Nursing.
The NCLEX-PN is the National Council Licensure Examination for Practical Nursing. Students must pass this prerequisite to become a licensed practical nurse or licensed vocational nurse. It is commonly known as an extremely difficult exam to pass.
This cohort started the Practical Nursing program in Senatobia in the fall of 2023. After completing a rigorous, full-time, one-year program that includes 345 clinical hours, 180 lab hours, and 455 lecture hours, they applied to take the test. So, not only did 100% of this cohort pass, many of these students have job offers as soon as they graduate.
Fall 2024 nursing lecture classroom in August 2024. Photo by Sarah Smith:
As preparation for this exam, the Practical Nursing staff begins educating students in their first semester by starting with their “building blocks.” These things cannot be memorized, tested and forgotten, said Barham. To be able to pass the test they must understand the material, and as part of that they take a three-day, in-person review for the NCLEX prior to their graduation as well as being enrolled in a self-paced review course their final semester.
“We are very proud of this group,” said Barham. “Our students come from a variety of backgrounds, cultures, and have different experiences within the health care field. Some come with little to no experience, some come with 15 years of experience as a nursing assistant. Some are parents, wives, husbands, caregivers, military members, and/or full-time employees throughout their education journey. These students are the proof that anyone can accomplish a goal if they set their mind to it and put in the work towards that goal.”
If you’d like to learn more about Northwest Practical Nursing or Health Sciences, please visit, northwestms.edu/healthsciences
