LEWISTON, Idaho – Lewis-Clark State College’s nursing program has been ranked No. 1 among four-year higher education institutions in Idaho for the second straight year, according to RegisteredNursing.org, a nursing advocacy organization.
LC State’s program earned a 94.47 score out of 100 to earn the honor, which is four points higher than any other four-year public institution in the state. LC State’s score is also slightly higher than its 94.32 rating from a year ago.
RegisteredNursing.org gave LC State high marks for “offering several nursing pathways for ambitious students. The school’s traditional pre-licensure BSN program prepares students for a rewarding, patient-centered career in nursing in four years of study. LPN to BSN and a special Community College to BSN tracks are also available to accommodate students at multiple points in the RN journey.”
In its seventh annual ratings, RegisteredNursing.org assessed nursing programs on several factors, including how well the program supports students toward licensure and beyond, and past and present first-time NCLEX-RN test pass rates. The NCLEX-RN exam is the national exam that all nursing program graduates must take to demonstrate competency and to be licensed to begin their nursing career. State boards of nursing can use a school’s overall exam pass rates as one measure of a school’s ability to deliver a quality nursing education. LC State’s first-time NCLEX pass rates have been the highest of the public four-year institutions in Idaho for the past three years.
LC State offers a Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree. Students interested in the BSN program must complete pre-program requirements at LC State or an accredited college or university before they can apply and be accepted into the LC program to take upper division BSN courses.
The college also offers BSN completion tracks for currently licensed practical (LPN) and registered nurses (RN). The LPN-BSN track is offered through a combination of traditional on-campus and online course delivery, while the RN-BSN track is delivered fully online.
