The nursing school that I will be applying to has a NCLEX pass rate of 73% (2015). But the problem is since 2011 the pass rate has been dropping down to 4-7 points yearly. So who knows how low it will be before I try to start in 2017.
Should this be a red flag? It's a private for non-profit nursing school since the 1960s and they are accredited.
Edit: I looked into the nursing school a little more and I found out that this program is on their 2nd year probation.
I wouldn't sweat the pass rate. Passing the NCLEX is a reflection on the student, not the program. Programs with low pass rates simply admit higher numbers of subpar students for whatever reason.
The probation, however, is another matter. If they are at risk for losing their accreditation during your tenure there then you are at risk. While you can still get your license coming out of an unaccredited school, your future opportunities may be limited. Some employers will demand graduation from an accredited school as will many graduate programs.
Passing the NCLEX is on you; accreditation is on them.
rhisnis not exactly true. If a straight A student goes to a school that fails to prepare them for NCLEX, they will have a higher chance of failing the first time. This would reflect on the school and not the student. NCLEX pass rates very much DO matter. Many schools admit subpar students. But a good program will be difficult and weed out those who can't hack it be sauce they will be teaching properly and have a well put together program. Admitting subpar students has nothing to do with pass rates. A programs ability to teach students and weed out the poor ones does. Which would again be on the school.
OP, is this the same school about which you started another thread to complain that you don't understand why the school hasn't relaxed its grading standards to increase the graduation rate??
OP, is this the same school about which you started another thread to complain that you don't understand why the school hasn't relaxed its grading standards to increase the graduation rate??
The first-attempt NCLEX pass rate for U.S.-educated students is over 90%. This means the school is substantially worse than the national average for allowing students to graduate who cannot meet the minimum standard for safe practice with a nursing license. They're not grading too harshly; they're not teaching students what they need to know.
they're not teaching students what they need to know.
And the students don't seem to have the wherewithal to learn the material through the massive array of non-lecture resources.
I am of the opinion that any reasonably intelligent person with good study skills and access to textbooks and the internet can learn all they need to know to pass the NCLEX with no interaction with a nursing instructor.
I continue to maintain that pass rates are much more a function of admissions criteria than they are of teaching methods.
Choosing a school based on prestige is your own decision.
Having gone through a relatively prestigious school with a very high nclex pass rate only to find the instructors incompetent had changed my views on percentiles.
I really believe that a good instructor can help with skills but passing the NCLEX is based on how much information you really try to understand.
My best advice is don't try to just pass tests those two years in the program. Try to absorb and retain as much information as you can.
mrsboots87
1,761 Posts
rhisnis not exactly true. If a straight A student goes to a school that fails to prepare them for NCLEX, they will have a higher chance of failing the first time. This would reflect on the school and not the student. NCLEX pass rates very much DO matter. Many schools admit subpar students. But a good program will be difficult and weed out those who can't hack it be sauce they will be teaching properly and have a well put together program. Admitting subpar students has nothing to do with pass rates. A programs ability to teach students and weed out the poor ones does. Which would again be on the school.