FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 11, 2007
Contact Ben Chambers, (770) 537-5756
West Central LPN program: 100 percent pass rate
West Central Technical College today announced a 100 percent passage rate on the National Council Licensure Examination for its first graduating class of Licensed Practical Nurses from the College’s Coweta Campus. Passing the NCLEX is required before licensure can be granted by the Georgia Board of Examiners of Licensed Practical Nurses.
“We are extremely pleased with the 100 percent passage rate,” WCTC President Dr. Skip Sullivan said. “The outstanding scores on the exam prove that our graduates are ready for jobs in the real world. Our nation faces a shortage of qualified nurses. These students are ready to make an impact here in our communities to make sure patients can get the care they need.”
West Central LPN program director Tricia Thompson was also pleased. “An enormous amount of work goes into establishing a program like we have done in Newnan,” she said. “We always want a 100 percent passage rate for all of our classes, but it doesn’t always happen. For it to happen the first time in Newnan is a tremendous accomplishment for these students and also for our program.”
All nine of the students graduating the program have also been through the Georgia Board of Examiners of Licensed Practical Nurses certification process and licensed as Practical Nurses. The nurses are Monica Allen, Delelar Boddie, Connie Ellison, Stacey Gibbs, Kelly Hollis, Terrie McFarlin, Stacee Smith, Yatha Sorise, Vandoria Wells.
Practical Nursing programs like the one in Newnan go through a startup process that requires an 80 percent passage rate for the first class which completes the program. The College’s established LPN program at the Murphy Campus in Waco had a 96 percent passage rate last year.
Students desiring admission into the program must go through a competitive selection process. The program at the Coweta Campus can take only 10 students per class. Twenty are selected per class at Murphy. Thompson said the College hopes to increase class size at Coweta in the future.
A nurse candidate must complete an approved LPN program – like the one at West Central – to be allowed to take the NCLEX, the standardized exam that is recognized nationwide.
The NCLEX – a $200 test – is administered by computer and can include up to 205 questions that must be answered in a five-hour time limit. A student must get 80 percent of the questions right to pass. Results are sent to the state indicated by the candidate. That state’s board of nursing can then determine whether or not to confer licensure to a candidate.
The Georgia board of examiners oversees 55 practical nursing education programs across the state. Over 32,000 practical nurses are licensed in Georgia.
West Central Technical College, with campuses in Carroll, Coweta, Douglas and Haralson counties, offers over 90 associate degree, diploma and technical certificate programs of study. A unit of the Technical College System of Georgia, West Central is the sixth fastest-growing of 33 technical colleges in the state and last year had an unduplicated credit enrollment of 5,059. West Central serves over 10,000 students including credit enrollment, adult education, ESL classes, continuing education and corporate training.
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