Blinn College recognizes 27 Associate Degree Nursing graduates with pinning ceremony
Blinn graduates rank among state leaders on national licensure exam
December 11, 2017
Twenty-seven future nursing professionals were recognized with their nursing pins Saturday, Dec. 9, after completing Blinn College’s highly regarded Associate Degree Nursing Program.
Located at the Texas A&M Health Science Center in Bryan, Blinn’s two-year program prepares students for a nursing career and for transfer into a bachelor degree program at a four-year university.
The Fall 2017 graduating class includes: Mikayla Almaraz (College Station), Nicole Bass (College Station), Emily Beach (College Station), Emily Calk (College Station), Jennifer Coppo (Antioch), Katrina Davis (Bryan), Sierra Deal (Hearne), Ashley Frei (Bryan), Abbie Gilmore (Bryan), Amanda Hanks (Bryan), Tiara Long (Bryan), Paola Lunsford (College Station), Ashley Marlin (Katy), Linley Martin (Houston), Kelby McMullen (College Station), Madison McPherson (College Station), Tyler Meurer (Bryan), Matthew Moore (College Station), Allison Pitney (Bryan), Kaitlin Quinton (Bellville), Cullen Rauser (College Station), Oswaldo Salmeron (College Station), Shelby Savoy (New Ulm), Nicole Souza (Bryan), Sayomidotun Terebo (Bryan), Brittany Torres (Bryan), Ashley Wynn (Bryan), and Allie Young (College Station).
Calk, Frei, Martin, and Torres each graduate as members of Alpha Delta Nu Nursing Honor Society. To be considered for membership, students must attain and maintain a 3.0 grade-point average overall and in all their nursing courses, and must demonstrate conduct on campus and in clinical areas reflecting integrity and professionalism. Alpha Delta Nu inductees also complete a capstone project.
Blinn ADN graduates posted a 96.2 percent pass rate on the national licensure examination in 2016, as 76 students passed the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX-RN) on their first attempt. Of the 114 nursing programs state-wide, only two programs with more graduates had a higher success rate.
“Blinn College nursing faculty have designed a hands-on curriculum that allows our students to put the lecture material to the test through their simulation and clinical experiences,” said Katherine Cart, Interim Program Director. “The quality of the program is reflected by our students’ success on the licensure examination, but more importantly, by the graduates who go on to enjoy long careers as caring, compassionate nursing professionals.”
Nursing students spend at least two days per week in clinical rotations, in addition to lab, simulation, and lecture time. Most students spend 15 to 24 hours each week in scheduled program activities and dedicate at least 30 hours per week to study and preparation.
Blinn’s ADN Program emphasizes interactive learning opportunities via clinical experiences and its simulation and clinical labs at the Health Science Center. The 26,000-square-foot Simulation Center includes:
- an emergency medical services skills/simulation lab with an ambulance simulator,
- an operating room with attached scrub area,
- 16 mid-fidelity private hospital rooms,
- six low-fidelity private hospital rooms,
- six high-fidelity intensive care unit rooms,
- a physical therapy lab,
- two radiologic technology x-ray suites, and
- a virtual IV training room.
“Simulation allows faculty to evaluate the students’ ability to critically and clinically think through what needs to be done and prioritize,” said Sami Rahman, Simulations Director. “If you make a mistake here, we can review the video and allow students to see where they went wrong so they can correct it during the next simulation and put the concepts they learn into practice.”
Students who complete Blinn’s ADN Program and pass the NCLEX-RN have a job placement rate between 97 and 100 percent and are qualified for a wide array of nursing positions, including pediatric, geriatric, hospice, school, and clinical nursing. New graduates can expect to earn over $52,000 per year.
In addition to associate degree nursing, Blinn’s Division of Health Sciences offers dental hygiene, emergency medical services, fire science, physical therapist assistant, radiologic technology, surgical technology, and vocational nursing programs.
