"Perfection," as defined by Merriam-Webster, is "an unsurpassable degree of accuracy or excellence."

That's what Georgia Gwinnett College's (GGC) nursing graduates demonstrated recently when all 63 passed the National Council of State Boards of Nursing's (NCSBN) National Council Licensure Exam (NCLEX) on the first try. This means that GGC's NCLEX first-time pass rate for 2024 is 100%.

While these graduates earned their Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) degrees, their journey to becoming registered nurses hinged on passing the NCLEX exam.

"The NCLEX exam is tough, but it's a way to ensure that nurses have the knowledge needed to provide safe and effective care for their patients," said Dr. Paula Gordon, interim dean for the School of Health Sciences and associate professor of nursing. "The success our graduates have on this exam reflects the quality of our program, our culture of caring and our dedicated faculty who share their knowledge and skills with our students."

In the past four years, GGC's nursing graduates passed the exam on the first try at 94.63%.

According to NCSBN, for U.S. graduates with baccalaureate degrees, the national average first-time NCLEX pass rate in 2023 was 90.17%. In the state of Georgia, that rate is 89.8%.

Why are GGC nursing graduates' pass rates above the state and national averages? GGC faculty use the flipped classroom model to deliver its curriculum. Classroom time is spent in an interactive setting where students and faculty work together to apply pre-assigned learning. GGC is among the first programs to implement this form of curriculum delivery.

"We take a real-world, hands-on approach to everything our students learn in the classroom," said Gordon. "It's one thing to learn things from a book, but it's another to take that knowledge and apply it in situations."

GGC students apply what they learn in the college's two modern simulation labs.

"They start in our skills lab so they can learn the basic technical skills they need for patient care," said Gordon. "From there, they advance to our state-of-the-art simulation lab with high-tech manikins. This lab mimics clinical spaces like hospitals so our students can apply critical thinking and practical skills."

GGC students also practice in an apartment setting to learn to care for patients requiring home visits.

Gordon also credits the program's clinical partners, who provide students with real-world experiences in local health care environments.

GGC's job placement rate for its nursing graduates is 100 percent.

For more information about GGC's nursing program, visit www.ggc.edu/nursing.

Photo caption: One reason GGC nursing graduates had a 100% pass rate in 2024 was the use of "flipped classrooms." Students took classes online and then applied what they learned in the college's modern basic skills and simulation labs. GGC nursing student Jenna Phelps checks the nursing manikin's mouth to confirm the feeding tube was inserted correctly. Photo by Daniel Melograna/Georgia Gwinnett College.

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