The Associate Degree Nursing (ADN) Program at Amarillo College today can be labeled nothing short of commendable—this according to the Texas Board of Nursing, which on Oct. 27 released annual data that, while preliminary, is of utmost importance to nursing education in Texas.

The data reveals that 94.78 percent (109 of 115) of AC’s program graduates from October 2014 to September 2015 passed the national licensure exam on their initial attempt, propelling AC’s ADN Program once again into the upper echelon of ADN programs statewide.

The Texas Board of Nursing requires programs to achieve a minimum 80-percent first-time annual pass rate to maintain Full Approval status, and it extends commendations to programs in which 90 percent of candidates pass the first time they take the NCLEX-RN exam.

Only 17 of the state’s 69 ADN programs achieved at least a 90-percent pass rate, and with an exemplary first-time pass rate of 94.78 percent (the College’s best showing since 2004), AC easily placed among the top 10.

Even more commendable, however, is the rapid about-face punctuated by AC’s latest pass-rate data. The Texas Board of Nursing in January 2015 placed AC’s ADN Program on Full Approval with Warning status following back-to-back years in which AC’s annual first-time pass rates fell below 80 percent. AC’s first-time pass rates in 2013 and 2014 were 79.02 percent and 77.6 percent, respectively.

However, in immediate response to the Board’s action, AC instituted several new and proactive strategies: more-stringent admission policies, smaller classes and a reduction in student-to-faculty ratios, elevation of the passing standard from 70 to 75 percent, and more. These tactics helped push AC to the swiftest of all possible turnarounds. Beginning in 2016, just one year following the Board’s warning, AC officially returns not only to Full Approval status, but garners a coveted Board commendation along the way.

“We owe our rapid turnaround in first-time NCLEX-RN pass rates to two primary factors,” Dr. Richard Pullen, dean of nursing and ADN Program director, said. “First, enhanced teaching and testing and intensive remediation from a dedicated faculty provided a strong foundation for student success. Second, diligent studying by our program graduates played a major role in their success on NCLEX-RN.

“The Amarillo College Associate Degree Nursing Program faculty congratulate our graduates and their families and friends.”

Congratulations also came AC’s way from the Texas Board of Nursing, which is impressed by the program’s speedy reinvigoration.

“Amarillo College was required to submit a Self-Study Report to the Board of Nursing in 2014 following their drop in NCLEX pass rate in 2013,” said Dr. Janice Hooper, the Board’s nursing consultant for education. “Their Report identified areas for improvement, and the faculty were diligent in implementing measures to improve the pass rate.

“The results are now evident as the program’s 2015 pass rate will be 94.78 percent,” Hooper said. “Board staff commend the director and faculty on this achievement!”

AC’s historically superlative ADN Program, it should be noted, is no stranger to Texas Board of Nursing commendations. This latest is the seventh one to come AC’s way since 2004.

October 28, 2015