"RegisteredNursing.org has ranked West Texas A&M University’s nursing program at No. 5 for Best RN Programs in Texas for 2018.
RegesteredNursing.org, a nursing advocacy organization, ranked the schools to provide students with the information needed to make the right choice when selecting a nursing school. The organization looked at 114 nursing programs across the state of Texas and ranked the top 50 based on NCLEX-RN pass rates over the past five years. RegisteredNursing.org believes the NCLEX-RN exam pass rates is one of the best ways to measure a nursing program’s ability to provide a solid nursing education.
WTAMU was ranked at No. 5 based on the program’s NCLEX-RN pass rates between 2013-2017. Rounding out the top five were University of Houston at No. 1, Texas State University, No. 2, Texas A&M University, No. 3, and Concordia University Texas at No. 4. Other Texas schools named to the list include Baylor University, No. 6, University of Texas-Austin, No. 15, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Lubbock, No. 17, and Texas Woman’s University at No. 19.
“I am very proud of the faculty, staff and students in our Department of Nursing,” Dr. J. Dirk Nelson, dean of the College of Nursing and Health Sciences, said. “This recognition speaks to their collective dedication, professionalism and commitment to improving the quality of health in our region. I challenge any university in the state of Texas to use its resources as cost-efficiently as West Texas A&M University.”
Since 2013, the University’s pass rate has averaged 96.54 percent, which is well above the national rate of 85.6 percent. WTAMU’s nursing faculty credits the high pass rates on a rigorous testing schedule that prepares nursing students for the NCLEX exam. Beginning with their junior year, WTAMU nursing students are required to take standardized tests called Hesi exams that encompass the wide variety of content covered throughout each semester. The Hesi exams lead up to an exit exam at the end of the senior year that all nursing students must pass to graduate.
“The journey from college student to professional nurse is an arduous yet rewarding process,” Dr. Helen Reyes, head of the Department of Nursing at WTAMU, said. “It's such an honor to help mold the next generation of nurses in the nurturing and collegial environment of West Texas A&M. We are so pleased and thankful to be recognized for the hard work of our faculty, staff, and outstanding students.”
The WTAMU Department of Nursing has been educating students to become registered nurses and nurse practitioners since 1974, and today more than 400 nurses in the Texas Panhandle are graduates of the University’s nursing program."
-West Texas A&M University
