Community College Pass Rate

That probably explains why some of the nurses we work with sure do not seem fit for the job. Passing NCLEX is one thing but it doesn't seem to weed out those that shouldn't earn that title. Those nurses are very textbook and having trouble applying the knowledge to the real world. It can be pretty scary. So many good nurses seem to be weeded out in nursing school and those that are NCLEX smart get through but the public becomes a victim in the process. There is something wrong with this picture.

I agree. There is "book smart" and "clinically smart." Passing the NCLEX doesn't guarantee a nurse who has common sense.

NCLEX pass rates are only one way to judge schools. Especially Community Colleges. Some CCs have a lottery system for admission and do not accept students by merit. This means that students must only meet a minimum GPA requirement to be eligible for their lottery - usually 2.0. Students who get a C average in prerequisites may not be as likely to pass the NCLEX. Just a generalization of course, and only one piece of the pie to be sure, but something to note.

Also, as mentioned before, some schools teach soley to the NCLEX. Some schools even go so far as to pay for their students to take NCLEX review courses. This happens because of concern over pass rates. CCs are state funded and do not always have the budgets to "buy" NCLEX pass rates like some private schools.

Also important to note is that some schools will aggressively "weed out" (kick out of the program) students who they feel may not have a good chance of passing the boards. This falsely raises their NCLEX passing percentage.

If you're really interested in finding out whether or not your school is a quality school - I would talk to other students, investigate the faculty (at my CC the vast majority of instructors have MSNs or higher, not always an absolute indicator of quality instruction, but at least a start in the right direction), and finally you could do a little research about the school's reputation at local hospitals and such.

CCs are a great bargain and very often attract excellent instructors (at least here in California). The CC that I attend has a stellar reputation, but generally only has an NCLEX pass rate somewhere in the mid-80s. Most of my instructors have MSNs or PhDs and are true nurse educators who could work anywhere that they want to. We have state of the art labs and equipment, and we get the best clinical sites in the area. Over 1200 perspective students apply for the programs 80 spots each semester.

Anyway, long way of saying - NCLEX pass rates can only tell you so much! Good luck with your pursuits!

I know at orientation for my CC nursing program they said that they had a 96% first time pass rate all along and then the 2007 year it dropped to 85%. They were adjusting the program accordingly. (I *think* they mentioned that the NCLEX changed that year or something)

So it may be something like that you heard about.

kim

Yes KimB, the nclex was revised in April of 2007.

Thanks for confirming that for me! I thought so, but didn't want to post incorrect information!