In big news for the Alabama Community College System, the National Board of State Nursing recently released exam results showing that the nursing pass rate in the state's system is higher than the national average.

In fact, according to the Alabama State Board of Nursing, more than 95 percent of the college’s LPN candidates and approximately 94 percent of its RN candidates pass NCSBN’s Next Generation NCLEX, a standardized test that measures whether nursing school graduates have the preparation and critical thinking skills necessary to work as entry-level nurses.

The national average exam pass rate is 68% for RN candidates and 75% for LPN candidates.

“Alabama's success rates demonstrate that nursing students are gaining the critical clinical judgment and decision-making skills necessary to begin their nursing careers in our state. The Alabama Board of Nursing commends nursing faculty at Alabama's community colleges for their relentless efforts to ensure the next generation of nurses is well prepared,” said Alabama Board of Nursing Executive Director Peggy Benson.

Healthcare Program Director Dr. Bryant Klein praised the system's nursing faculty for overcoming obstacles to produce top-quality nurses.

“When we learned last year that the NCLEX was changing, our nursing faculty stepped up to the plate to ensure we were teaching students the right content to help them succeed,” Klein said. “This dedication to developing excellent nurses in our state has, as always, paid off for the Alabama communities that rely on the skills and compassion of their nurses.”

Amy Price, chief nursing officer and chief operating officer at Coosa Valley Medical Center, highlighted the positive impact this collaboration can have on rural hospitals like Coosa.

“As you can imagine, we're an independent rural hospital, so partnerships are incredibly important not just to our existence but to our sustainability. So when we look at our partnerships, I can't think of any that are more important to us than the great work that the community colleges are doing with their programs,” Price said.

“This has really paid off in terms of hiring qualified people to meet today's healthcare demands.”

Austin Shipley is a staff writer for Yellow Hammer News.