UPIKE 2016 nursing class achieves 100 percent on national exam

Every student in UPIKE's 2016 graduating nursing class achieved a 100 percent on the NCLEX-RN.
Every student in UPIKE's 2016 graduating nursing class achieved a 100 percent on the NCLEX-RN. | File photo

The Elliot School of Nursing at the University of Pikeville's 32 students in the May 2016 graduating class all achieved a pass rate of 100 percent on the National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses (NCLEX-RN).

“We are so proud of our graduates,” Elliott School of Nursing dean Mary Simpson said. “I also want to commend the nursing faculty, Canda Byrne, Karen Damron, Dwyna Dean, Dawnetta Marcum, Linda Taylor, Tiffany Wright and our adjunct instructors, who go the extra mile to individualize the education our students receive.”

The NCLEX-RN is a standardized exam used by the board of nursing in each state to determine which candidates are prepared for entry-level nursing practices. The 2015 graduating class also received a 100 percent pass rate on the NCLEX-RN. This, along with the 2016 class, helped UPIKE graduates from the Elliot School of Nursing remain above the national and state averages. The national average last year was 85 percent, with the Kentucky average at 90 percent.

“How fitting that with the program’s 32nd graduating class, the Class of 2016, was the largest class with 32 graduates who have now become 32 new RN’s,” Simpson said.