Penn College News

Penn College nursing grads top national licensure pass rates

Tuesday, November 27, 2018

Pennsylvania College of Technology nursing graduates again exceeded state and national performances in passing national board examinations.

Penn College offers degrees for those pursuing registered nurse and practical nurse licenses.

One hundred percent of Penn College students who earned bachelor’s degrees in nursing and took the National Council Licensure Exam for Registered Nurses (NCLEX-RN) for the first time between Oct. 1, 2017, and Sept. 30, 2018, passed the exam on that first attempt. During the same period, 97.14 percent of Penn College associate-degree nursing graduates passed the exam on their first try.



Pennsylvania College of Technology’s Tushanna M. Habalar, instructor of nursing, guides student Lindsay C. Dunkelberger (left), of Centre Hall, in placing an IV in SimMan, a wirelessly controlled patient simulator.Statewide, 92.84 percent of candidates passed the NCLEX-RN on their first attempt. Nationally, the first-time 2017-18 pass rate is 88.57 percent.

On the National Council Licensure Exam for Practical Nurses (NCLEX-PN), 90.48 percent of Penn College’s health arts: practical nursing degree graduates passed on their first attempt, compared to 84.1 percent statewide and 85.38 percent nationally.

Multiple steps must be completed before a nurse can safely enter the profession. They typically include graduating from a recognized nursing education program, meeting specific requirements of their state’s board of nursing, and passing the National Council of State Boards of Nursing NCLEX examination for registered nurses or licensed practical/vocational nurses.

The NCLEX-RN and NCLEX-PN exams are used by all state boards of nursing across the United States to help assess a graduate’s competency and are required for licensure.

Penn College’s nursing majors are approved by the Pennsylvania State Board of Nursing and accredited by the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing. The college’s nursing majors represent one of the largest academic program areas at Penn College, with nearly 400 students.

To learn more, call 570-327-4519.

For information about Penn College, a national leader in applied technology education, email the Admissions Office or call toll-free 800-367-9222.