The University of North Carolina Board of Governors voted unanimously today to lift its suspension on admission of students to North Carolina A&T State University’s School of Nursing traditional Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) entry option. The move comes after the institution made significant changes, resulting in an 89.3 percent passing rate on the National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses (NCLEX-RN) for the May 2015 graduates of the traditional entry option – exceeding the board’s 85 percent benchmark. Those graduates benefited from changes in curriculum, faculty, admission requirements and policies, and they took the NCLEX-RN within the recommended 45-days of program completion.
“We are thankful to the Board of Governors for acknowledging the extraordinary progress made by our faculty, staff and students to reclaim our traditional entry option for the Bachelor of Science in Nursing,” said Provost Joe. B. Whitehead. “This decision allows us to grow and strengthen our nursing program and continue to produce academically sound graduates to meet the workforce needs of the region, state and world,” Whitehead said. “We have much more work to do, but we are excited about this latest accomplishment.”
Prior to the board’s admission suspension in 2014, N.C. A&T began making modifications. Following the committee review that year, more focus was placed on rigor, resulting in changes to the progression policy – which dismisses students after one failing course, and implementing a plan to ensure that students take the NCLEX-RN within the recommended 45-days of program completion.
A&T will resume admission to the traditional BSN entry option in summer 2016. The School of Nursing’s two other entry options – Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing (ABSN) and Bachelor of Science in Nursing Completion (BSNC) – were not affected by the suspension and are among the strongest and shortest programs in the nation, allowing students the opportunity to earn a degree in 12 months.
For more information about North Carolina A&T’s School of Nursing BSN entry options, call 336-334-7750, send email to tbevans@ncat.edu or visit www.ncat.edu.
