Oceanside CA— MiraCosta College’s Registered Nursing Program has been ranked the third best in California based on the passing rates of students taking a state licensure exam.
“MiraCosta College is a hub of accreditation and nursing career pathways that are well suited to pre-service, new, and experienced nurses,” states RegisteredNursing.org, which posted the new rankings on its website. “MiraCosta makes it easy to apply life skills and experiences to a new career in patient-centered care.”
The website, which says its mission is to promote excellence in nursing by providing future health care professionals with the tools they need to succeed, looked at 127 nursing programs in California, ranking 50 based on pass rates on the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX) for the past five years. MiraCosta College student pass rates during that time: 92.86 percent in 2011-12; 100 percent in 2012-13; 97.67 percent in 2013-14; 100 percent in 2014-15; and 93.62 percent in 2015-16.
The NCLEX has been the nationwide examination for the licensing of nurses in the United States since 1994.
“The MiraCosta College Nursing Program provides students with small classroom sizes as well as in-depth simulated training for experiential learning in the nursing laboratory,” said Sandy Comstock, associate dean for nursing and allied health. “The nursing faculty are well qualified and always available to our students for tutoring or advisement. I believe all these factors contribute to our high rate of continued student success.”
Since 2011 MiraCosta College has educated nearly 300 registered nurses, most of whom are now working in the local community, Comstock added.
Comstock left Southwestern College in 2007 to expand the offerings at MiraCosta College’s Nursing Program. At the time, MiraCosta only offered training to become a licensed vocational nurse. Today, the college has several options for students contemplating a career in nursing and allied health, including: a certified nursing assistant program; a licensed vocational nursing program approved; an LVN to RN career ladder nursing program; and the registered nursing program. MiraCosta also offers a home health aide course, a surgical technology program, and a medical administrative professional program.
“I love MiraCosta’s Nursing Program and everything it has to offer,” said nursing student Em Russell, who aspires to become a nursing instructor. “I am a Marine Corps veteran and chose MiraCosta’s program based on its high level of success rates on the NCLEX. It was essential to me to attend a program that would give me the skills and knowledge necessary to apply myself into a nursing career. The hands-on training available from the moment you start the program to the very end allows students to apply knowledge from theory and solidify key concepts necessary for a registered nurse. The laboratory staff provides realistic simulations to enhance learning every step of the way, and the faculty make themselves available to students like no other institution I have ever attended.