THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, September 14, 1996 TAG: 9609140234
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B3 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY PHILIP WALZER, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: NORFOLK LENGTH: 89 lines
Norfolk State University had the best pass rate among Virginia universities for bachelor's students taking the national exams for registered nurses in the last year.
But students in Norfolk State's associate's nursing program had the lowest pass rate among their two-year counterparts in Virginia on the nursing boards.
Twenty-five of twenty-six students - or 96.2 percent - in Norfolk State's four-year program who took the exam for the first time passed it between July 1, 1995, and June 30, 1996, according to statistics provided by the State Board of Nursing.
The next highest rates were 94.2 percent at the University of Virginia and 93.8 percent at Old Dominion University.
In NSU's two-year associate's program, 26 of 40 students - or 65 percent - passed the same test. The next lowest rate was 75 percent, at Thomas Nelson Community College. Tidewater Community College had a 90.6 percent pass rate.
State officials said nursing schools shouldn't be judged based on pass rates. ``Some students may bring more than others, based on what their past education has been,'' said Nancy Durrett, executive director of the State Board of Nursing. ``Some programs reach out for more disadvantaged students than others.
``Prospective students might want to take a look at passing rates, but certainly wouldn't want to make a final decision based on that.''
Generally, there are three routes to prepare for the nursing boards and for a career as a registered nurse: a two- or four-year degree program at a college or a nondegree program at a hospital, such as Sentara Norfolk General or DePaul.
The test, generally given on a computer, is formally known as the National Council Licensure Examination. It can be taken at any time, but most students take it shortly after they graduate. Hospitals usually require a passing grade for continued employment.
NSU's bachelor's nursing program has two tracks: One is generally for nurses going back to school to get a four-year degree, perhaps to qualify for an administrative job. They've already taken the nursing boards and are not included in Norfolk State's numbers. The other, known as the ``second degree program,'' enrolls adults who already have four-year degrees and want to switch into nursing.
Norfolk State's strong showing among four-year programs reflects the maturity of these returning students, said Candace M. Rogers, the acting head of the department of nursing.
The students in the associate's program, she said, are ``often the first generation that is attending college at any level. A lot are working.''
Some ``may need a little more work. Some may have test anxiety.''
In the last couple of years, Rogers said, the university has increased computer training for nursing students so they will feel comfortable taking the exam on a computer.
Norfolk State officials said their own figures, tracking exam results annually from January to December, show the pass rate for two-year students hovering between 77 percent and 80 percent in the last three years. Rogers said she didn't know why the state figures from July to June listed a signficantly lower rate.
The university's figures show that for the four-year program, the pass rates have stayed between 92 percent and 100 percent in recent years, Rogers said.
Clarence Coleman, dean of the School of Health Related Professions and Natural Sciences, noted the nursing programs have higher admission standards than the university as a whole.
Candidates must previously have had a 2.0, or C, average to get into the associate's program and a 2.5 for the ``second degree'' program.
The State Council of Higher Education has asked Norfolk State to consider dropping its two-year nursing program, but not because of the pass rates, said Margaret A. Miller, the council's associate director. She said that if Norfolk State wants to expand its graduate degrees, it ought to make room by giving up some of its two-year degrees. NSU started a doctoral program in social work last year and would like to increase graduate degrees in the sciences.
Norfolk State is the only state-supported four-year institution in Virginia with a two-year nursing program. Hampton Roads has another two-year nursing program, at TCC.
Because NSU's two-year program attracts many students, the state cannot force it to close by declaring it ``unproductive,'' Miller said.
In fact, the two-year program is larger than the four-year nursing program, Norfolk State administrators said. There are about 150 students in the associate's program and 43 in the bachelor's.
NSU is not dropping the two-year degree, administrators said. The program was among the first six associate's nursing programs created in the country, in the '50s, they said. ILLUSTRATION: PASS RATE ON NATIONAL NURSING BOARD EXAMS
VP Graphic
SOURCE: State Board of Nursing [For a copy of the graphic, see
microfilm for this date.] by CNB