Memorial Healthcare System is committed to the community and building greater, smarter healthcare. We know that a highly qualified and trained Nurse makes the difference in patient care and quality outcomes.

Many of you will become a future Nurse and we hope to help you in this journey. We can start by helping you find an accredited school with excellent national nursing exam (NCLEX) pass rates. Successful completion of this exam is critical to your future employment and active nursing practice.

As a top employer of skilled clinicians, we are prepared to support you at every step of your continuous learning — from new graduate to first-year RN. Our Nurse Residency Program is an opportunity to transition into your professional nursing career through mentoring and real-life case studies.

But, first, let’s find the right nursing program for you

1: We advise that you ask the following questions when looking into a nursing school: What is their accreditation status?

a. We recommend nursing programs that are nationally accredited by agencies such as the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN) and/or the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE).

b. Nursing schools that are accredited by these agencies are more likely to provide their students a well-rounded learning experience. They have a set curriculum with stringent guidelines, numerous education resources, and access to a greater number of clinical sites . Additionally, a significant majority of their graduates pass the NCLEX exam in their first attempt.

2. What are their NCLEX pass rates?

a. The Florida Board of Nursing collects data from academic nursing programs including the percentage of their graduates who pass the NCLEX exam the first time.

b. We recommend nursing programs with a consistent pass rate of 80% and above.

c. You can find the NCLEX pass rates of any nursing program that you’re interested in at the Florida Board of Nursing’s public website: https://floridasnursing.gov/education-and-training-programs/

There are obviously other factors to take into consideration such as learning environment, schedule, tuition, instructors, commute, and more.  But finding a reputable nursing program should be at the top of that list. We hope that this blog post will help to  inform your choices as you pursue a nursing career.