Ivy Tech nursing students' pass rate 100% for 5th straight year

Graduates of Ivy Tech Community College's Greencastle and Terre Haute and practical nursing program have achieved a 100 percent pass rate on the NCLEX-PN (National Council Licensure Examination for Practical Nurses) exam.

Program graduates have successfully completed the licensure exam at a rate of 100 percent the past five years. That pass rate far surpasses the national average of 84.63 percent pass rate.

"We are proud to supply area hospitals and clinics with skilled and knowledgeable nurses," Chancellor Jonathan Weinzapfel said. "The health and wellness of our community, both physically and economically, is a top priority and one we strive to elevate."

The NCLEX-PN exam is required to work as a licensed nurse. The exam is taken in order to ensure public protection, as well as ensure nurses demonstrate competencies, including knowledge, skills and abilities, needed to perform the practice of nursing safely and effectively.

"The nursing program at Ivy Tech is well respected in the Wabash Valley," Dean of the School of Nursing Kim Cooper said. "The successes of both the ASN and PN graduates can be attributed to the positive relationships with our clinical partners, a team of dedicated, credentialed faculty, and a hard-working student population. Seeing students graduate and achieve successes is our mission, and one I am proud to be a part of."

In order to provide Ivy Tech students continued success in the nursing program, numerous internal initiatives have been implemented. In 2012, the School of Nursing moved to a new location in the South Industrial Park in Terre Haute. The facility includes a nursing lab with an adjoining 328-square-foot room that is used for advanced level high-fidelity simulation.

Ivy Tech's nursing programs are approved by the Indiana State Board of Nursing and accredited by the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing.

In 2012, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported the job growth rate of Licensed Practical Nurses as 25 percent. The median annual salary was reported as $41,540 per year and hourly salary was reported as $19.97.

Ivy Tech Community College is the state's largest public postsecondary institution and the nation's largest singly accredited statewide community college system serving nearly 200,000 students annually.