Nursing Program Has 100% Pass Rate 4 Yrs Running
For the fourth year in a row, Cuesta College’s Registered Nursing (RN) graduates scored a 100 percent pass rate on the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX), the state board that allows individuals to practice nursing. The Cuesta College RN graduating classes of 2014, 2015, 2016, and 2017 achieved a 100 percent first-test pass rate, meaning every student who graduated in the corresponding spring semester and took the NCLEX, passed it the first time they sat for the exam.
According to the National Council of State Boards of Nursing, the average pass rate for the state of California in 2016/17 was 87 percent.
Forty-one RN students graduated from Cuesta College this year. Cuesta College’s Director of Nursing Marcia Scott attributes the program’s success to a variety of factors.
“We admit a high caliber of students through a merit-based, multi-criteria screening process that gives points for various life experiences, previous education, and other accomplishments, all in accordance with the California Education Code and the California Community College Chancellor’s Office requirements,” said Scott.
“Students enter our program motivated and committed to becoming top-notch nurses. We partner with the local healthcare industry, which allows for excellent clinical learning opportunities and overall support for our students. And finally, our dedicated, consistent and strong faculty, staff, and college administration are integral to the program’s success.”
Over the course of the RN program, students have access to grant-funded NCLEX support resources. Upon RN program completion, Cuesta College offers a four-day live review course, which is essentially a condensed nursing content review and test-taking strategy class.
Eighteen of this year’s graduates are continuing their nursing studies via the Cuesta College and CSU-Monterey Bay Collaborative Associate Degree in Nursing (ADN) to Bachelor of Science in Nursing Degree (BSN) pathway. Launched in 2016, the partnership allows Cuesta College nursing students the opportunity to complete their BSN in three years, which equates to one year after graduating from the ADN program.
“All of the CSU-MB courses are held locally, allowing students to begin working in the community as RN’s during their final year of pursuing their bachelor’s degree,” said Scott. “The program is gaining in popularity and the college hopes to expand this degree pathway to ADN nurses in the community in the future.”
Cuesta College’s accredited Nursing Program was established in 1967. The RN program’s 50th class launched in August of 2017 and will graduate students from the two-year program in May of 2019. For more information on the Nursing Department, please call (805) 546-3138 or visit the Nursing Department website.
