Good News for CSCC Nursing Students

Cleveland State Community College Nursing Seal

Good News for CSCC Nursing Students

Holly Vincent
Thursday, May 26, 2016 11:07 AM
Students, All, Academics

CLEVELAND, Tenn. – Cleveland State Community College has received news that students admitted to its fall of 2016 nursing class may proceed. This comes after the Tennessee Board of Nursing (TBN) rendered a decision on Friday to suspend the college’s nursing program from admitting future classes until they reach the benchmark of 85 percent passing the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX) on the first attempt. Over 92 percent of Cleveland State nursing students ultimately passed the test last year and are working professionals today. Nevertheless, the passing rate considered by the Board for this same period is 82 percent, based on the first attempt.

“Following our research into this matter, including a review by the Tennessee Board of Regents General Counsel, it has been determined that all nursing students admitted to CSCC before the recent decision from the TBN are eligible to begin or continue their studies this fall,” stated Dr. Bill Seymour, CSCC President.

Cleveland State has already started taking measures to assist the students through various program and curriculum improvements which include strategic staffing reassignments. A federal grant has allowed the college to hire a dedicated tutor specifically for the Nursing program to provide individual and group sessions, in addition to the regular attention of faculty, theory advisors and academic advisors. A completion coach has also been added to provide support for students when “life issues” impact their success in the program. Another program enhancement is the hiring of a consultant to assist in identifying further improvements.

There has been an increase in test preparation which includes test-taking strategy seminars, test-taking webinars for continued study, as well as mandatory practice NCLEX style tests. There have also been curriculum improvements to better prepare nurses for the increasingly complex medical environments in which they will work. This includes:

  • Changes to admissions standards with higher emphasis on academic performance in required science courses.
  • Integration of high-level critical thinking assessments throughout all semesters of the program that identify content with which a student struggles and provides individualized study plans for improvement.
  • Challenging simulations to strengthen student practice of patient care including routine and critical care situations like triage in response to disasters and mock codes in which the student nurses enact complex teamwork typical of a hospital critical care situation.

“The college is committed to our students and our community,” stated Seymour. “We are confident that these program and curriculum improvements and additional initiatives will help in consistently improving our students’ test scores.”

Dr. Denise King, Vice President for Academic Affairs, said, “This is not just about meeting the Board’s standards; we have standards of our own at Cleveland State that exceed their requirements and we are doubly committed to overcoming this brief dip in test scores and returning to our usual first-time pass rates near 100 percent. We have earned a reputation for producing stellar nurses who are trained not just to pass a test, but to provide intelligent, skillful and compassionate nursing care for patients in the private offices, clinics, hospitals and long-term care facilities of our community. Cleveland State has done this for nearly 50 years, and we will continue to present our community with the highest quality nurses it deserves.”

For updates on CSCC’s nursing program, visit the website at www.clevelandstatecc.edu or contact Dr. Nancy LaBine, Director of Nursing at (423) 478-6227 or email nursing@clevelandstatecc.edu. You can also visit the Career Education Building, Room E-207 Tuesday-Friday of next week from 8 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.

View Nursing Program Frequently Asked Questions and Answers

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