BLINN RECOGNIZES 50 NURSING GRADUATES WITH PINNING CEREMONY
Fifty future nursing professionals were recognized with their nursing pins Saturday, May 6, after completing Blinn College’s highly-regarded Associate Degree Nursing Program.
Located at the Texas A&M Health Science Center in Bryan, Blinn’s two-year program prepares students for a nursing career and for transfer into a bachelor degree program at a four-year university.
The Spring 2017 graduating class includes: Kara Archer (Magnolia), Abigail Austin (College Station), Krystle Bloodsworth (La Grange), Michelle Brown (Tomball), Bryan Burleigh (League City), Whitlee Byrd (North Zulch), Kaylin Calhoun (Wheelock), Cody Chachere (College Station), Katalin Crement (Bryan), Tynille Cross (Brenham), Kylie Cruse (Bryan), Britney Curran (Bryan), Amy Davis (Bryan), Meghan Dawson (College Station), Rose Dickey (Midway), Hayley Dugger (Richmond), Lindsey Fountain (College Station), Jessica Garcia (Jarrell), Stephanie Garcia (Bryan), Forrest Gorman (Round Top), Caroline Guerrero (Houston), Courtney Henry (Hallettsville), Amber Heredia (College Station), Carolyn Holloway (Richmond), Lauren Kasper (College Station), Shelby Kittrell (College Station), Jennie Le (Austin), Dab Lewis (Bryan), Elizabeth “Liz” Malone (Bryan), Margaret Metts (Normangee), Kelsey Myrick (College Station), Wendy Nelson (Brenham), Jennifer Nolen (Bryan), Jessica Olson (Bellville), Ashlyn Pias (College Station), Megan Proudfoot (Bryan), Melissa Pruitt (Bremond), Elisa Reyna (College Station), Andrea Richardson (Somerville), James “Ritchy” Robbins (College Station), Christopher Rogers (Killeen), Jessica Schmalriede (Bryan), Sara Simmang (Giddings), Meagan Smith (College Station), Kimberly Stage (Cypress), Caitlin Strong (Milano), Kaleigh Taizan (Rockport), Jana Thatcher (College Station), LaYontapaulette “Yonnie” Wade (Franklin), and Samantha Webb (Bryan).
Calhoun, Crement, Dawson, Guerrero, Heredia, Malone, Nolen, and Strong each graduate as new inductees into the Alpha Delta Nu Nursing Honor Society. To be considered for membership, students must attain and maintain a 3.0 grade-point average overall and in all their nursing courses, and must demonstrate conduct on campus and in clinical areas that reflects integrity and professionalism. Alpha Delta Nu inductees also complete a capstone project.
Last year, Blinn ADN graduates posted a 96.2 percent pass rate on the national licensure examination in 2016, as 76 students passed the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX-RN) on their first attempt. Of the state’s 68 community college associate degree nursing programs, only Hill College (3/3, 100 percent), Laredo Community College (26/27, 96.3 percent), and Lone Star College – Tomball (26/27, 96.3 percent) posted higher pass rates for first-time candidates. Of the 114 nursing programs state-wide, only two programs with more graduates had a higher success rate.
“Our students’ success on the national licensure exam is a testament to the hard work and dedication these students have invested in their education,” said Michael Hutton, MSN, RN, Program Director. “It also is a credit to our faculty, who have spent countless hours designing a hands-on curriculum that challenges our students’ clinical reasoning skills and helps ensure that they not only understand the material, but are able to put it into practice, either in simulations or clinical experiences.”
Nursing students spend at least two days per week in clinical rotations, in addition to lab, simulation, and lecture time. Most students spend 15 to 24 hours each week in scheduled program activities and dedicate at least 30 hours per week to study and preparation.
Blinn’s ADN program emphasizes interactive learning opportunities via clinical experiences and its simulation and clinical labs at the Health Science Center. The 26,000-square-foot Simulation Center includes:
- an emergency medical services skills/simulation lab with an ambulance simulator,
- an operating room with attached scrub area,
- 16 mid-fidelity private hospital rooms,
- six low-fidelity private hospital rooms,
- six high-fidelity intensive care unit rooms,
- a physical therapy lab,
- two radiologic technology x-ray suites, and
- a virtual IV training room.
“Simulation allows faculty to evaluate the students’ ability to critically and clinically think through what needs to be done and prioritize,” said Sami Rahman, Simulations Director. “If you make a mistake here, we can review the video and allow students to see where they went wrong so they can correct it during the next simulation and put the concepts they learn into practice.”
Students who complete Blinn’s ADN Program and pass the NCLEX-RN have a job placement rate between 97 and 100 percent and are qualified for a wide array of nursing positions, including pediatric, geriatric, hospice, school, and clinical nursing. New graduates can expect to earn over $52,000 per year.
Prospective students can participate in information sessions taking place the first Wednesday each month. Each information session will be held at 5:30 p.m. at the Texas A&M Health Science Center campus located at 8441 Riverside Parkway in Bryan. To register, visit: www.blinn.edu/twe/adn/info_session.php.
In addition to associate degree nursing, Blinn’s Division of Health Sciences offers dental hygiene, emergency medical services, fire science, physical therapist assistant, radiologic technology, surgical technology, and vocational nursing programs.