Nevada NCLEX Exam Pass Rates
When choosing a school, the quality of a nursing program is one of the top priorities for students interested in becoming registered nurses. What are some reliable methods used to measure the quality of a nursing program? Some of the main indicators of a good nursing program include a high pass rate on the NCLEX exam and a low program dropout rate. Upon reviewing current statistical data regarding student scores on the state license exam, several universities and nursing schools in Nevada are taking action to combat student dropout rates and enhance the quality of their educational programs.
Statistical reports have shown alarming data when it comes to the number of recent nursing graduates failing to pass the licensure examination on the first attempt. Almost fifty percent of those who graduated from the Apollo College in Las Vegas and the School of Nursing at the University of Southern Nevada have failed to pass the state NCLEX exam on the first try. Twenty percent of nursing graduates from the Touro University and the Nevada State College have also failed the Nevada licensure exam when challenging the exam for the first time. The national average pass rate for the NCLEX exam was 87 percent in 2008, which means that overall only thirteen percent of nursing program graduates have failed the exam in the past year. What is causing the alarming increase in the number of graduates who are not able to successfully become licensed in Nevada? A combination of factors may contribute to such low NCLEX pass rates, including insufficient faculty and clinical instructors, educators which do not have enough teaching experience, and inadequate admission criteria. One of the other possible causes of high dropout rates among nursing students is attributed to a lack of support and guidance from counselors and faculty.
The Nevada Nursing Board is conducting a thorough review of all the provisional state approved nursing programs to verify that schools respect the board's policies and students receive adequate support when needed. In an effort to improve student retention and score outcomes on the NCLEX exam, nursing schools program directors are modifying the educational curriculum, improving the nursing laboratory with the latest tools and technology, and requiring that potential students pass a revised academic test as part of the admission criteria. Nevada State College has limited the number of students admitted into the nursing program each year in order to provide a better instructor to student ratio. At the end of the senior year nursing students must take a mandatory test similar to the state NCLEX examination.