WINONA LAKE — Students who participate in Grace College’s collaboration with the Bethel College School of Nursing are experiencing remarkable success, as evidenced by a 100 percent board passing rate for Grace associate degree in nursing students.

The associate degree in nursing program on the Grace College campus is offered through Bethel College School of Nursing in Mishawaka. The two-year program prepares students to take the state board exam for licensure as a registered nurse.

“The Institute of Medicine has a goal for 80 percent of nurses to be educated at the BSN level by the year 2020,” said Kathy Oliver, coordinator of the Bethel School of Nursing at Grace. “Accrediting agencies and the Indiana State Board of Nursing all look at first time pass rate for all nursing programs to help determine if we are doing a good job. At the end of a nursing program, whether it is ADN or BSN, the graduates sit for the National Council Licensure Examination exam. Passing this exam determines if you are able to practice as a licensed RN or not. Every ADN student who graduated from Grace and Bethel this spring passed their NCLEX exam on their first try.”

Grace’s program graduated 13 of the 24 ADN students who took the NCLEX this past spring.  Many of these students are continuing on through the Bethel BSN-completion program that is offered on both the campuses of Grace and Bethel College.

“A 100 percent board pass rate from our collaborative nursing program is an excellent result, but not an unexpected one,” said Dr. John Lillis, executive vice president of academic affairs at Grace. “The Bethel nursing program, as well as the students who choose to complete the program through the Grace campus option, are excellent in their own right. Such positive results are a natural consequence of overall merit in every field.”

“We are excited about our partnership with Bethel Nursing because they have a long tradition of excellence,” agreed Dr. Mark Norris, dean of the School of Arts and Sciences and chair of the Department of History and Political Science at Grace College.