All BBCC nursing grads pass qualifying test
Courtesy photo All 17 graduates in the class of 2017 Big Bend Community College nursing program passed their state qualifying exams on the first try. It’s the 10th consecutive year all nursing students have passed the exams on the first or second try.
MOSES LAKE — Nursing students at Big Bend Community College have kept a 10-year streak alive, with all 17 nursing graduates passing the Washington state licensing exam. All 17 nursing candidates in the class of 2017 passed the exam on the first try.
This marks the 10th year all nursing program graduates have passed the test on a first or second attempt, said Matt Killebrew, BBCC director of communications. In 2017, the national pass rate on the first try was 88.4 percent, according to the National Council of State Boards of Nursing.
“I am very proud of the hard work of our graduates,” said Katherine Christian, BBCC director of health education programs. The nursing program is “a model for excellence, as measured by the extraordinary pass rates on the (qualification) exam,” BBCC president Terry Leas said. “This validation by national standards assures employers and patients that our nursing students have the skills to provide exceptional health care.”
The nursing program provides an associate degree.
— Staff report