Augustana University is proud to announce that its Class of 2022 nursing graduates within its School of Health Professions achieved a 97.5% National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX-RN®) pass rate — the highest of all programs in South Dakota for the third straight year.
The NCLEX-RN® exam is a standardized test that every state's regulatory board uses to determine readiness for licensure as a Registered Nurse (RN). Of the 81 Augustana graduates who earned their Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) — in both the university’s traditional and accelerated programs — 79 students passed the exam when taking it for the first time.
“The culture of excellence in nursing education at Augustana is the result of the commitment of the entire AU faculty. This includes the liberal arts education and rigor of prerequisite courses, in addition to the nursing core courses. The dedication of the faculty to help students succeed both in the classroom and clinical setting, along with the high caliber of students and strong clinical partnerships in the region result in graduates who are prepared for the workforce,” said Dr. Lynn White, Augustana associate professor & program director of nursing.
According to the South Dakota Board of Nursing (SDBON), Augustana’s NCLEX pass rate was 10.8% higher than the average pass rate of all nursing program graduates in the state at 86.7%, and 17.6% higher than the national average of 79.9%.
The 2022 SDBON Annual Education Report of Nursing Education indicated that South Dakota needs to fill open student seats and produce more RN graduates to meet the state’s increasing employment demands.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment of registered nurses is projected to grow 6% from 2021 to 2031 — about as fast as the average for all occupations. About 203,200 openings for registered nurses are projected each year, on average, over the decade. Many of those openings are expected to result from the need to replace workers who transfer to different occupations or exit the labor force, such as to retire.
“Augustana nursing graduates are well prepared to meet the needs of the ever-changing landscape of the health care environment,” said White.
About the Augustana Department of Nursing
For more than 80 years, the Augustana Department of Nursing has been a regional leader in preparing nurses. The innovative program values excellence and service and provides experiences for students to cultivate their personal, intellectual and professional growth. Augustana graduates are prepared to address issues in a complex 21st century health care environment.
Augustana offers a baccalaureate program accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education and is approved by the South Dakota Board of Nursing. Augustana is a 4-year professional nursing program with a liberal arts curriculum as its foundation.
The university’s post-baccalaureate accelerated nursing program is a full-time plan of study designed for students who have a college degree and have completed the prerequisite courses. The accelerated program includes two fall semesters, a January Interim (J-Term), a spring semester, and a summer session and is completed in 16 months.
In October 2021, Augustana University's Department of Nursing was officially endorsed as a Holistic Nursing Program by the American Holistic Nurses Credentialing Corporation (AHNCC) — the only college in South Dakota and one of only 17 schools in the nation to earn this endorsement.
Augustana launched its Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) program in Fall 2022, with an emphasis in two areas — adult-gerontology acute care nurse practitioner (AG-ACNP) and adult-gerontology clinical nurse specialist (AG-CNS). Beginning Summer 2023, AU also began offering two post-master's certificate options for the AG-ACNP and AG-CNS specialty tracks.