Fourteen students from the graduating Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing cohort have achieved a 100% first-time pass rate on the NCLEX-RN exam, the national licensing exam for nurses.
The inaugural cohort of the Elon University Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing (ABSN) has achieved a 100% first-time pass rate on the NCLEX-RN, the national licensing exam for nurses. The Department of Nursing is celebrating this amazing achievement just ahead of the North Carolina Board of Nursing full program approval vote on May 18.
The department received initial approval from the North Carolina Board of Nursing in January 2021 and Elon admitted the first class of accelerated and traditional nursing students in the fall of 2021.
Tiffany Morris, program chair and director, started as the inaugural chair in March of 2021. The inaugural faculty and staff — Jacqueline DeBrew, Jeanmarie Koonts and Anthony Lester — assisted with the development of program policies and procedures and taught the fall semester courses. Additional faculty — Cyra Kussman, Elizabeth Van Horn and Stacey Thomas — joined the team in subsequent semesters to assist with the remaining courses in the curriculum.
Faculty and staff are extremely excited about the results and are proud of the inaugural cohort. The graduating class also has a 100% job placement rate and a 93% graduation rate.
“The accelerated program is fast and furious, rough and rigorous,” said Morris. “Our faculty, staff and students rose to the occasion and completed their journey to becoming an RN with excellence.”
The Department of Nursing expressed gratitude to Elon University President Connie Ledoux Book and the entire leadership team for their visionary work in adding a nursing program to Elon’s programs of study.