Blinn Vocational Nursing Program graduates earn 100% pass rate on national licensure exam

Students from last two classes pass National Council Licensure Examination

September 5, 2024

All 17 recent graduates of the Blinn College Vocational Nursing Program’s traditional and blended tracks have passed the national licensing exam.

Eleven students graduated from the traditional program in June and six graduated in August from the blended/online program. All passed the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX-PN).

“To have one cohort score 100% is quite an accomplishment, but to have another cohort also score 100% is like a dream,” said Dr. Michelle Marburger, Director of the Vocational Nursing Program.

The 10-month traditional program includes classroom, laboratory, and clinical training. Clinical rotations are held at hospitals and other healthcare facilities throughout the area. Almost 98% of Blinn’s program graduates the past three years have found jobs in the profession.

The blended online Vocational Nursing Program allows students to complete their theory coursework online while attending face-to-face clinical and laboratory experiences. Designed for individuals balancing a job and their nursing studies, the program was launched in 2018 as the first of its kind in the state.

Marburger said the 100% pass rate was a tribute to students’ “hard work and pushing through the hard times” and the “wisdom, passion, and knowledge” from the program’s instructors and administrators, including Dean Michelle Wheeler Trubenstein.

“We also could not do it without all of the wonderful clinical partners – facilities, doctors, nurses, and healthcare workers – who work with us for our students to gain hands-on skills,” she added.

According to the U.S. Department of Labor Statistics, the 2023 annual median pay for a vocational nurse was $59,730, and employment is expected to increase 5% between 2022 and 2032, creating 34,900 new jobs nationwide.

Program graduates are eligible to take the NCLEX-PN and the Nursing Jurisprudence Examination and are considered licensed vocational nurses after passing both exams.

For more information regarding Blinn’s Vocational Nursing Program, visit www.blinn.edu/vocational-nursing.