ABILENE, Texas, July 15, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Abilene Christian University Bachelor of Science in Nursing students achieved a 100% pass rate for the National Council Licensure Exam for Registered Nurses national licensing exam in 2023, one of only six Texas BSN programs with a perfect pass rate.

The NCLEX-RN – a requirement for nursing graduates to be licensed and able to practice as an RN – is used to evaluate competence for entry level practice in a variety of healthcare settings. The national average passing rate for the exam is 88.56%, and the state of Texas average is 91.15%. In 2023, 55 ACU students took and passed the exam.

The two years of intense classroom and clinical education provided by ACU's School of Nursing prepare students for this exam and for entry level practice. Nursing majors also complete a one-month immersive preceptorship while paired with a practicing professional nurse, working the same shifts and learning through direct experience alongside them. This preceptorship is the culmination of over 750 hours of clinicals across four semesters and helps transition students into a professional role.

"The exemplary achievement of our nursing graduates in attaining a 100% pass rate on the NCLEX-RN exam underscores the value of ACU's holistic model for nursing education," said Dr. Susan Lewis, provost and vice president for academic affairs. "Student learning is the focus of ACU's unwavering dedication to academic excellence and to equipping students for distinguished professional careers and lives of service."

Dr. Theresa Naldoza, assistant professor, executive director of nursing, and associate dean of the College of Health and Behavioral Sciences at ACU, advises students approaching graduation to use the resources available to them when preparing to take the exam and to continue studying beyond graduation.

"Some of the most important qualities of successful students are being inquisitive and exhibiting the desire to not only know 'what' but 'how and why' something occurs pathophysiologically," said Naldoza. "They also desire to grow both in knowledge and as a person and professional. There will always be opportunities for growth, so we encourage our students and graduates to take advantage of those."

One example of such opportunities is a discipline-specific Study Abroad program in Montevideo, Uruguay, where ACU BSN students learn about the culture, partner with a local university and gain clinical experiences in Uruguayan healthcare facilities. Nursing faculty also regularly take student groups on international and domestic medical mission trips, serving communities in Honduras, Guatemala, Dallas, Denver and Rwanda with organizations and clinics. Students work alongside physicians and nurses to perform assessments, give medications, change dressings, start IVs, teach health curriculum and obtain statistics.

Learn more about ACU's School of Nursing and College of Health and Behavioral Sciences.

Abilene Christian University serves a diverse student population of about 6,000 with world-class teaching in a Christ-centered community. Founded in 1906, this national research university offers online and residential undergraduate and graduate programs. Students choose from 87 baccalaureate majors that include more than 171 areas of study, as well as 71 areas of study in master's degree and specialist programs and four doctoral programs. ACU's mission is to educate students for Christian service and leadership throughout the world. Learn more at acu.edu.

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SOURCE Abilene Christian University