NURSING GRADUATES POST HIGHEST PASS RATES IN STATE FOR LICENSURE EXAM

Graduates of Old Dominion University's bachelor's of nursing degree program achieved the highest licensure pass rate in the state in 1999 among baccalaureate programs, with an impressive 92.9 percent of graduates passing on their first try.

According to Brenda Nichols, chair of the nursing program, it is the seventh consecutive year that Old Dominion graduates have achieved over a 92 percent pass rate and the sixth consecutive year that Old Dominion's pass rates ranked in the top 25 percentile in the nation.

"Our success on the NCLEX-RN is due to our excellent students and the program's small clinicals, where students get the hands-on experience needed to learn nursing skills," said Nichols.

Old Dominion's results on the National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses compares with a state average of 84.35 percent and a national average of 84.81 percent for bachelor's degree programs. Statewide, Old Dominion graduates fared better than their counterparts from the University of Virginia (92.7 percent), Norfolk State University (85.7 percent) and George Mason University (81.1 percent), among others.