Western Nevada College nurse program ranks in top 3

Trust you’re in good hands with Western Nevada College’s registered nursing program, as it has been recognized among the top three in Nevada by RegisteredNursing.org.

“It’s a total effort to make this happen,” said Judith Cordia, nursing and allied health director at WNC. “I have to say, our students want to be excellent and they work very hard. Our faculty, both full- and part-time, work very hard and are experts in their field. Most of them keep current by working at the clinical sight throughout the year, but they do stay in touch. We also have great working relationships with our clinical sights. There’s a lot of pieces to this puzzle, and when it comes together it’s a beautiful picture.”

WNC’s clinical sights include Carson Tahoe Health, St. Mary’s Regional Medical Center and Renown Regional Medical Center.

RegisteredNursing.org had this to say about WNC’s associate degree nursing program:

“With an excellent nursing program, nursing educators adeptly guide students toward effective communication, accountability and clinical knowledge so that graduates easily fill the gaps in area nursing care.”

Cordia assured a majority of their nursing students go for a bachelor’s (BSN) in nursing, and the students understand education is the key to the future and it doesn’t end with your first degree, so most of them continue their higher education.

Nursing programs were assessed on several factors that represent how well a program supports students toward licensure and beyond, according to Sally Worthington, outreach coordinator for Registered Nursing.org.

WNC’s score of 95.46 was only surpassed by Great Basin rated 100, and UNLV, rated 95.84. Eleven RN programs in the state were analyzed. The score is consistent with WNC’s recent NCLEX-RN exam pass rates: 95.12 percent in 2016, 100 percent in 2015 and 94.6 percent in 2014.

According to The Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average salary for a registered nurse in Nevada is $81,460. Moreover, WalletHub reported Nevada has the highest annual nursing salary when adjusted for cost of living.

To learn more about WNC’s nursing program, go to http://www.wnc.edu/nalh/. For more details about the RegisteredNursing.org’s ranking of the nursing programs, go to https://www.registerednursing.org/state/nevada/#rankings.