Shown are graduates of the Bethel University’s School of Nursing at Grace College.

News Release

WINONA LAKE — The 2024 graduates of Bethel University’s School of Nursing at Grace College boast a 100% NCLEX pass rate for the RN Boards exam. This is the third consecutive year the program has boasted a 100% pass rate. The number surpasses the national average pass rate by 21%.

“We are thrilled to launch this next graduating class into the healthcare industry to meet the growing demand for nurses,” said Dr. Kristen Richmond, the coordinator of nursing at Grace College. “As our population ages and a projected 23% of RNs plan to retire in the next five years, colleges and universities are having a hard time keeping up with the need. However, I have been so encouraged by this class of nursing graduates who are equipped to enter the field and intent on their purpose to make an immediate impact.”

Nursing students at Grace participate in Grace College campus life and its liberal arts courses while studying nursing with Bethel University nursing professors. These students have access to Grace’s state-of-the-art nursing simulation lab, where they practice their skills in a life-like environment.

As a result of scenario-based learning and experienced faculty, employers that hire Grace BSN graduates report a 100% satisfaction rate. According to Richmond, the biggest differentiator for a Grace graduate is a commitment to making Christ known in the hospital rooms they enter.

“Our highest aim is to prepare our students to be successful Christian nurses in this stressful and high-demand field and to train them to be compassionate and caring while sharing the love of Jesus,” said Richmond.

Cassidy Stults of Bristol, Indiana, is one of the graduating students who contributed to the 100% NCLEX pass rates at Grace.

According to Stults, the NCLEX felt “like a breeze” because of the academic rigor of the nursing program. “I was happy to get my RN title, but I almost felt even more proud of my BSN,” said Stults.

For Stults, the field of nursing was a clear choice.

“My mother is a pharmacist, so she exposed me to the world of medicine, which furthered my interest in healthcare,” said Stults. “I excelled in science classes throughout middle and high school, and I have a passion for making people feel better and empathizing with them in their pain. Nursing presents amazing opportunities to share the love of Jesus and be a light in people’s hardest moments.”

In September, Stults will begin her career as a nurse in a medical-surgical unit in one of the main hospitals in Lafayette, Indiana. She looks forward to putting her nursing skills to use with a diverse patient population before solidifying a role on a specialty unit. As she reflects on her nursing training, she affirms it was well worth it.

“While nursing school may seem daunting, the support you receive from your peers and instructors is far beyond what you could ever imagine and will help you through,” said Stults. “Nursing school can also help strengthen your faith in ways you didn’t think possible – I know it did for me!”

For more information about Bethel University’s School of Nursing at Grace College, visit grace.edu/programs/nursing/.