Madeline Owens
Lantern Staff
Butler’s nursing program was recently named No. 10 in the top 10 registered nurse (RN) programs in Kansas. Today, students are proud to be apart of such a well-known career pathway.
According to Sally Worthington, the outreach coordinator for the website registerednurse.org, the third annual ranking of the top 10 RN programs in Kansas was released in August 2019.
“We use a five-year weighted methodology as our scoring platform,” Worthington said. “All data is objective and derived from the state board of nursing for first-time test takers pass rates of the NCLEX-RN exam.”
For those who are not familiar with nursing school terms, the NCLEX-RN exam is what determines whether a nursing student involved with a program can be given their license to work as a registered nurse.
From the information provided by registerednurse.org, “The NCLEX-RN exam is used by all state boards of nursing across the United States to help assess a student’s competency and is required for licensure.
Also, many state boards of nursing use the total overall NCLEX-RN pass rates for a school as one of the main ways to approve a school’s ability to provide nursing education in the state.”
The nursing curriculum at Butler is designed to give students more hours of clinical work compared to other programs in Kansas.
“My favorite experience in the Butler nursing program is participating in clinicals,” nursing student Sophie Watkins said. “By the time we graduate, we have almost 100 more clinical hours than some other nursing programs. It is one thing to understand the information, but the opportunity to use technical skills is what makes a well prepared new nurse.”
While providing licensed practical nurse (LPN) to registered nurse bridge programs, Butler also offers a dual RN/BSN program through KU. This degree offers students a dual opportunity to further their nursing skills while never leaving Butler since the KU nursing classes are taken online.
“We have an excellent pass rate,” Stephens said. “We rank higher than the national pass rate, and our nurses are extremely well respected in hospital settings around Wichita.”
Butler is always looking for ways to enhance their nursing curriculum and prepare students for a well sought after career in nursing.
“It is an honor to be attending one of the top 10 nursing programs in Kansas,” Watkins said. “I feel proud to wear Butler scrubs, and it motivates me to represent the program well.”
Students that are interested in nursing as a profession are advised to speak with a counselor on campus as they can help with picking out future classes and discovering a career that will fit all students’ expectations.
