Blinn ranks among the best associate degree nursing programs in Texas
Blinn ADN graduates posted a 96.39 percent pass rate on the National Council Licensure Exam in 2018
May 6, 2019
The Blinn College District Associate Degree Nursing (ADN) Program has been ranked among the best in the state by registerednursing.org.
Blinn ranked No. 19 among 119 colleges and universities across the State of Texas with registered nursing programs, and was ranked No. 3 among Texas community colleges. Registerednuring.org compiled its rankings by analyzing current and historical National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX-RN) pass rates, with extra weight placed upon each institution’s most recent pass rates.
Blinn ADN graduates posted a 96.39 percent pass rate on the national licensure examination in 2018, surpassing the national average of 88.56 percent and the state average of 91.65 percent. All 35 members of Blinn’s recent Fall graduating class passed the NCLEX-RN, making it the seventh class to post a 100% pass rate.
In rating Blinn among the state’s best, the website said:
Students in the ADN program at Blinn College of Bryan, Texas, can expect experienced faculty, stimulating learning environments, and hands-on practical components that will excel success rates for students and for professional nurses upon graduation.
“Blinn 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 Karla Ross, 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.
“We are amazed at the caliber of nursing students from Blinn College,” said Catarina VanOrman, Intensive Care Unit Manager at Baylor Scott & White Medical Center-College Station. “We continually see students who are engaged and enthusiastic and also possess a strong knowledge base. The instructors are invested not only in teaching their students, but in fostering positive relationships with our staff, allowing us to collaboratively improve the clinical experience at Baylor Scott & White.”
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.”
According to the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board’s CollegeForAllTexans.com, out-of-district Blinn students who enrolled in 30 credit hours during the 2018-19 academic year saved 42 percent in tuition and fees compared to students at public universities across the state. In addition to Blinn’s low tuition and fees, the Blinn Foundation offers more than 200 endowed scholarships available to incoming and returning students from a wide range of backgrounds, majors, and experiences. Current and prospective students can complete a single application to apply for all Blinn scholarships at www.blinn.edu/scholarships.
Blinn’s ADN Program has transfer articulation agreements in place with Prairie View A&M University, Stephen F. Austin State University, Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi, the University of Texas at Austin, the University of Texas at Tyler, and the University of Texas Medical Branch.
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 an average of $53,000 per year.
“I have been very impressed with the Blinn graduates hired for our department,” said Gina Ortiz, Clinical Educator for the Critical Care Department at CHI St. Joseph in Bryan. “All of them are succeeding in a very stressful environment and I credit their success, in part, to the background Blinn gives them as students.”
For more information regarding the Blinn Associate Degree Nursing Program, visit www.blinn.edu/associate-degree-nursing.
