The National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses (NCLEX-RN) has released its program outcome data for 2024, with an impressive 94% of RSU nursing program graduates passing on their first attempt.
NCLEX-RN is a standardized test that nursing graduates must pass to become registered nurses in the United States. This test determines the readiness and competence of recent nursing program graduates.
RSU ranked well ahead of both the state and national averages. The 2024 passage rate in Oklahoma was 88%, while the national rate was 91%. RSU’s 94% passage rate outpaced both.
In May 2021, RSU’s first class of Bachelor of Science in Nursing students graduated. RSU’s first class of BSN graduates passed the NCLEX-RN at an 86.6% rate in 2021. By last year, in 2023, RSU’s passage rate had climbed to 91%.
According to Dr. Carla Lynch, associate dean of RSU’s School of Nursing and Health Professions, the high NCLEX-RN passage rate of RSU students is a result of the university’s quality instruction and support provided to the students.
“Our nursing faculty are true experts in their field of nursing specialty – pediatrics, mental health, critical care, etc.,” Lynch said. “The faculty also have master’s degrees or higher in nursing education – meaning they know how to teach at a high level and can make content relatable and meaningful to our learners.”
“In the School of Nursing and Health Professions, we are always seeking to improve,” Lynch said of the increase. “Prior to 2021, our nursing graduates earned associate degrees in nursing (ADN). We have continued to fine-tune our BSN curriculum to ensure that we are covering nursing content that aligns with the NCLEX to ensure test readiness for our graduates.”
Apart from one year, Rogers State University has consistently ranked above the Oklahoma state NCLEX pass rates. Nursing is regulated by the Oklahoma Board of Nursing who carefully tracks and publishes NCLEX completion rates across the state and also compares nursing programs across the nation.
As the demand for nurses from health care agencies, higher education and government entities has increased, RSU has implemented several novel approaches to meet the growing demand for registered nurses.
“In January 2023, we began admitting nursing students twice per academic year – August and January – to our traditional BSN program, allowing us to take almost double the number of students,” Lynch said. “Further, we have embarked on an exclusive partnership with Saint Francis Health System in starting an RSU Extended Campus at Saint Francis Hospital in Tulsa. This has further increased our student capacity in the pre-licensure nursing program and has expanded opportunities for premier clinical placements for our students.”
Additionally, RSU Nursing has continued to offer the RN2BSN completion program that allows associate degree registered nurses to complete their bachelor’s degree in a fully online format. This program elevates the associate degree RN in areas of management, leadership and research, opening the door to more opportunities.
RSU is continuing to explore additional nursing and allied health options for roll-out in the near future, Lynch noted.
Learn more about RSU’s nursing program.