By Gerard Flanagan
Lead writer and communications specialist
Office of Marketing and Communications
Campbellsville University’s School of Nursing has demonstrated its excellence by achieving another 100 percent pass rate on the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX) for all students graduating in 2024.
The examination measures the competency of nursing graduates for entry-level practice, and it’s a critical step for becoming a licensed registered nurse.
“All of our students who took the exam, passed on the first attempt,” Dr. Michele Dickens, dean of the School of Nursing, said, “this shows the rigor of our program and the commitment of our faculty to the students to prepare them to pass the exam and then become a practicing registered nurse.”
In total, 39 students from CU’s School of Nursing passed the NCLEX for 2024.
“I think the pass rate speaks for itself, that the students who complete our program sit for the exam and pass it on the first attempt,” Dickens shared. “This not only validates the strength of our program but also contributes to the healthcare workforce in communities where our students live and serve.”
Dickens shared the three core values of the School of Nursing focus: caring, competency and compassion.
“All of our students come to us with traits of being compassionate and caring,” Dickens said. “We teach them competency, so it allows the student to holistically take care of a patient under that umbrella of our core values.”
Dickens added the School of Nursing instills in its students this saying from Florence Nightingale: “Let us never consider ourselves finished nurses.”
“This mindset is essential because we prepare our nursing students to become practicing registered nurses, but they will also continue to learn as they move into and engage in the profession,” Dickens stated.
The School of Nursing’s advisory board, consisting of faculty, staff and organizations the School of Nursing partners with, meets every semester to provide guidance and support to the school’s leadership and mission.
“The feedback that we receive from the advisory board tells us they know when a Campbellsville University nursing student is on their floor taking care of their patients,” Dickens said. “They know that the student is well-trained, respectful and will provide excellent care of their patients.”
