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MILLIGAN COLLEGE, TN (October 14, 2003)— For the fifth year in a row, every graduating nursing student at Milligan College passed his or her national licensure exam on the first try. This means the class of 2003 received a 100 percent first-time pass rate, which exceeds the national average by 12 percent according to Melinda Collins, director of Milligan’s bachelor of science in nursing (BSN) program.
The Tennessee Board of Nursing, which granted Milligan full approval of its BSN program in 1999, requires that 85 percent of an institution’s nursing graduates pass the NCLEX-RN, the national licensure exam for registered nurses, on the first attempt.
“We have not only met the 85 percent requirement, but have far exceeded it,” said Collins. “We are one of a few programs in the state to reach the 100 percent mark and receive commendation from TBN, and we have now done it five years in a row.”
Collins noted that the NCLEX-RN is practice-based, and Milligan professors weave principles of the test throughout their curriculum. An additional course component was added to the curriculum in 1999, providing the senior nursing students with focused preparation for the NCLEX-RN, which Collins says has contributed to the pass rate success of Milligan’s BSN graduates.
This accomplishment is one of several successes the program has had in recent years, leading to a growing enrollment in the program.
“We have a tradition of 100 percent of our graduates being employed as they receive their diplomas, at locations such as the Duke Medical Center, Mayo Clinic, Mercy Ship, and locally at Mountain States Health Alliance and Wellmont facilities,” said Collins.
Mary Fabick, professor of nursing at Milligan College, also reported that 100 percent of Milligan nursing graduates who have applied to graduate school have been accepted to the school of their choice, including Vanderbilt, Case Western Reserve, University of Tennessee-Knoxville and East Tennessee State.
In preparation for the profession, as well as the NCLEX, Milligan’s nursing program is practice-based, explained Collins.
“Combined with Milligan’s Christian focus, our graduates are at an advantage to better understand and meet the needs of their patients,” she said.
Milligan’s academic dean, Dr. Mark Matson, said he is very pleased with the success of Milligan’s nursing program and its contribution to the college’s mission and to the community.
“Preparing servant leaders in the health care field is an essential part of Milligan’s commitment to the society that we serve,” Matson said. “We think our Christian liberal arts education, coupled with sound training in the health care fields, is the best approach for the changing needs of health care. Our nursing graduates are prepared to meet those changing needs. We are proud of our outcomes.”
For more information about Milligan’s BSN program, visithttp://www.milligan.edu/academics/nursing.htm