Nevada college and university nursing graduates were ranked second in the nation in 2012 for the National Council Licensing Examination for Registered Nurses.
The Nevada State Board of Nursing has learned that Nevada ranked second behind only Oregon, which edged out the Silver State, 94.4 percent to 94.37 percent, for the year.
"I can't tell you how proud I am of how hard so many nurses in Nevada have worked to improve this performance," said Roseann Colosimo of the Nevada State Board of Nursing.
Western Nevada College nursing students achieved a 100 percent pass rate after completing their two-year Associate of Applied Science degrees in nursing last spring. The NCLEX-RN test validates a graduate's competencies as a nurse and helps nursing boards make licensing decisions.
"Receiving a perfect pass rate on the NCLEX-RN confirms that the WNC nursing program is successfully preparing employable graduates for a career that sustains families, and offers immense benefit to our community and our local economy," said Dr. Judith Cordia, director of Nursing and Allied Health at WNC.
For 2012, 871 of the 923 students who sat for the NCLEX test in Nevada were successful. In Oregon, 1,197 of 1,268 students passed the exam.
"Congratulations to the board members who held the line. Congratulations to the nursing education leadership who set high standards and brought the performance to such an improved level," Colosimo said. "Congratulations to faculty who made it happen."
Other states near the top of the pass-rate rankings were North Carolina - 94.06 percent, New Hampshire - 93.85, Tennessee - 93.54, Missouri - 93.43 and South Carolina - 93.37.