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The �Թϱ���’s Nursing program is celebrating the highest pass rate of licensing exams in its history. For calendar year 2018, �Թϱ��� nursing graduates achieved a 98.9 percent pass rate of the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX), surpassing the national average of 89.41 percent and the state average of 89 percent.

Karen Pardue, Ph.D., RN, CNE, ANEF, dean of the Westbrook College of Health Professions, expressed her delight with the pass rate. “�Թϱ��� is doing remarkable work educating the next generation of nurses for the state of Maine, Northern New England, and the rest of the country,” she stated. “I want to congratulate Jennifer Morton, D.N.P, M.P.H, APHN-BC, director of Nursing, and all of the faculty in the department for this impressive achievement.”

The high pass rate is especially noteworthy given the large number of �Թϱ��� nursing graduates who sat for the exam. With 93 students taking the NCLEX for nursing, �Թϱ���’s cohort was the second largest among all nursing programs in Maine.

Pardue credits the students’ success to their hard work and to the rigorous preparation and training that UNE’s Nursing program provides. “Their training doesn’t end at graduation,” she notes. “Our faculty members work with the students right up to the point in time that they take their exams.”

�Թϱ���’s testing cohort was composed of students from both the Bachelor of Science in Nursing program, a traditional four-year course of study, and the Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing program, designed for those who already hold a bachelor’s degree in other majors.