The Northwestern Nursing Department has continued their legacy of excellence this year as the 2024 nursing graduates had a 100% pass rate on the NCLEX-RN board exam for the fifth year in a row. This is one of many reasons that NW has the third highest ranked nursing program in the state by RNCareers.org.
NW faculty expressed their pride in and satisfaction with the graduates and the nursing program following this outstanding showing from the class of 2024 nursing students.
Dr. Karie Stamer commented on the results stating, “The continued success rate demonstrates the effectiveness of the curriculum, strength of our clinical and preceptor partnerships, as well as quality and character of the nursing students.”
Dr. Stamer is the associate professor of nursing, nursing department chair and the director of the online RN-BSN (which stands for Registered Nurse – Bachelor of Science in Nursing) program at NW. NW offers an undergraduate BSN degree, as well as an RN-to-BSN option offered online.
Dr. Stamer also said of the nursing program, “Our students learn to value all parts of what makes us human mind, body and spirit and all the uniqueness those things bring.” Highlighting the Christian values that are at the core of NW’s programs.
The nursing program also gives students plenty or resources and opportunities that prepare them for successful careers in the world of medicine.
The nursing arts laboratory in the Dewitt Family Science Center Students provides students with state of the art technology to utilize and familiarize themselves with including a high-fidelity simulators and patient rooms, a flexible learning space with eight bays, IV training arms and other equipment, a hospital-based computerized medication system and an electronic health record simulation program.
Students are required to compete a 120-hour preceptorship working with a practicing nurse. The nursing program partners with local health care centers to make this possible and give students hands-on experience that prepares them for careers in the medical field after graduation.
Students after graduation spread across the country to provide care for the sick with some graduates as close as Sioux Center and others as far as Bozeman, Mont.
These alumni are now working in a wide variety of medical fields and professions including pediatric, oncology, emergency care, neonatal ICU, medical-surgical and labor and delivery units.
The preparation of nursing students for the workforce through extensive hands-on experience, the faith-based education and the success graduates find in their careers post-graduation are why the Red Raiders who are currently in, and have graduated from, the nursing program stand out.
