Joliet Junior College nursing students best national pass rate on licensure exams

Joliet Junior College nursing students have earned a 96% first-time pass rate for the 2020 National Council Licensure Examination, exceeding state and national averages.

The NCLEX is the nationwide examination for licensing nurses, taken by program graduates, according to a news release.

Students in the practical nursing program who took the NCLEX-PN exam earned a perfect 100% pass rate.

Mary Beth Luna, chair of the JJC nursing department, said the achievement came despite a challenging year.

“I’m so proud of our graduates who persevered despite the pandemic,” Luna said in the release. “And I’m very proud and humbled to work with such exceptional and dedicated faculty and staff who worked tirelessly to maintain our high educational standards, even while putting the program online in a short period of time.”

The national average for the NCLEX-RN first-time pass rate is 87% and the national average for the NCLEX-PN is 83%.

“I know that NCLEX-RN pass rates among many nursing schools in the state have suffered in 2020,” Luna said in the release. “I am thrilled that ours have held steady.”

JJC’s nursing program is fully accredited by the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing, Inc.