The Northwest Mississippi Community College School of Health Sciences nursing students had a 100 percent passing on the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX) from both the Senatobia and Oxford campuses.

“To obtain a 100 percent passing rate for a cohort means that each student in that cohort passed the NLCEX the first time,” explained Betty Ginn, Northwest’s Practical Nursing program director in the School of Health Sciences.

The NCLEX is a complex test that challenges students to use the knowledge they’ve been learning throughout their program. It tests their knowledge from a variety of nursing disciplines to make sure they are adequately prepared for a myriad of issues that face the medical field today.

Everyone who completed in this cohort graduated from the Practical Nursing Program in July of 2023.

Many of these faculty members still work at the bedside when they can to keep their skills sharp, according to Ginn. Ginn said that these are “very smart and knowledgeable” instructors who “pour their souls into students.”

The teaching process for the Northwest School of Health Sciences Practical Nursing Program works through exercises that help promote critical thinking, role play and other activities to make sure the content is being absorbed. Ginn said that they promote reading first, listening to the instructor second, doing the practice and demonstration third, and utilizing the skills and knowledge at the clinical level.

“Health care is not for everyone,” Ginn said. “A person must be compassionate and caring. If a student has both of those qualities, they can learn anything they set their minds to. I am proud of the students for completing the program, passing the NCLEX exam, and for impacting the lives of others every day. In addition, I am very proud of my faculty for everything each of them puts into a cohort to ensure their success. The Northwest PN faculty are top-notch!”