Of the 17 students who graduated as part of Dordt University’s 2022 nursing class, 100 percent passed the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX) on their first attempt.
A 100 percent first-time pass rate shows that Dordt’s nursing program prepares students for practice, says Dr. Deb Bomgaars, director of Dordt’s nursing program.
“NCLEX is the licensure exam used by the U.S. and Canada that graduates must pass in order to obtain a nursing license so they can practice,” she explains.
Dordt’s nursing program is designed to prepare students for the NCLEX every step of the way—through how course exams are written, an NCLEX review, practice questions, and faculty advising.
“The NCLEX is meant to be a gate for students to ensure they can think critically enough to provide safe care,” says Deb Kleinwolterink, instructor of nursing. “It is a tough exam. The students need to prove they have the knowledge and critical thinking skills to provide safe patient care and achieve positive patient outcomes.”
The results for the class of 2022 reveal that Dordt’s investment in its students and the preparation the program uses pays off.
“Dordt prepared me to pass the NCLEX through its strong, supportive curriculum that grew in complexity each semester, culminating in the final semester designed specifically for NCLEX preparation,” says Emily (Zylstra) Moe (’22). “During the last semester, professors also served as our support partners by helping us create individual study goals. And on the NCLEX test days, our professors prayed for peace and wisdom as they welcomed us into the nursing profession.”
Moe now serves as a registered nurse in the cardiac stepdown unit at the University of Iowa.
Hannah Burgsma (’22), who now serves in a Michigan health care facility in a neuroscience unit, agrees. Burgsma shares that it can be a challenge to stay motivated when putting in the countless hours of reviewing and practicing content, but Dordt’s faculty encourage students to put their studying into perspective.
“Our nursing professors not only encouraged us to put in these hours for the sake of passing the NCLEX, but because these hours we put in could save a patient’s life someday and bring hope and healing to our patients.”
As she begins her nursing career post-NCLEX, Burgsma says she often thinks of something Professor of Nursing Dr. Kate Vander Veen told her during her time at Dordt.
“Dr. Vander Veen told me, ‘Don’t go into each room alone. Take the strength, love, wisdom, and healing power of the Holy Spirit with you,” says Burgsma.
With caring faculty who have years of experience in the field and a state-of-the-art nursing facility that includes a simulation lab, Dordt’s nursing program provides students a safe place to learn before they practice in the field.
“Dordt’s nursing program prepares students to be distinctively Christian nurses, ready to step into the complex health care system with critical thinking, clinical judgment, and skills needed to provide safe care,” says Melanie Wynja, assistant professor of nursing and the program’s simulation director.
About Dordt University
As an institution of higher education committed to the Reformed Christian perspective, Dordt University equips students, faculty, alumni, and the broader community to work toward Christ-centered renewal in all aspects of contemporary life. Located in Sioux Center, Iowa, Dordt is a comprehensive university named to the best college lists by U.S. News and World Report, Forbes.com, Washington Monthly, and Princeton Review.
Original source can be found here.
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