All 2011 Graduates of CEC Nursing Program Pass National Licensing Exam on First Try

The 2011 graduates of the Practical Nursing Program at the APS Career Enrichment Center

November 28, 2011

All 2011 graduates of the Practical Nursing Program at the APS Career Enrichment Center passed the national licensing exam on the first try, allowing them to enter the workforce as licensed practical nurses (LPNs).

The 26 students took the National Council of State Boards of Nursing Examination for the Practical Nurse this summer. The national pass rate for the test is 86 percent. This is the second time in three years that CEC’s pass rate is 100 percent. All students in the classes of 1991, 1992 and 1997 also passed the exam on their first attempt.

CEC’s practical nursing program, under the direction of Jocelyn Amberg, helps prepare students from throughout the district for a career in nursing. The rigorous, two-year program involves collegiate-level class work that helps prepare students to take the national licensing exam.

The practical nursing program started in 1981, with the first class graduating in 1983. The current senior class of 2012 will be the nursing program’s 30th graduating class. Each year there are 150-200 applicants for the program.  Currently, there are 49 junior nursing students and 27 senior nursing students in the program.

A recent survey of the class of 2011 found that all graduates are pursuing higher education.  Three fourths of them are working as nurses while in school.