COEUR d'ALENE - North Idaho College nursing students achieved the highest examination scores in the state last year of all 12 colleges that offer nursing programs in Idaho.

From December 2013 to November 2014, NIC's associate's degree nursing program students had a 98.57 pass rate on the National Council (of State Boards of Nursing) Licensure Examination for Registered Nursing, outpacing their counterparts attending Idaho's other associate's and bachelor's degree nursing programs.

"(I am) proud of my students, proud of the faculty and proud of the program," said Gina Prindle, Ph.D., NIC's director of nursing and an instructor. "Because of our history of our graduates doing well on the exam, students go into the exam with some confidence that they're prepared for the exam as well as the practice in the workplace."

Prindle said it's one thing for a student to graduate from a program, but the student needs to pass the lecture exam in order to become a licensed registered nurse. She said the statistics about program excellence have to revolve around licensure pass rate as well as workplace performance of graduates.

In 11 of the past 12 years, the NIC nursing program has had a 94-100 percent pass rate. NIC was either No. 1 or No. 2 in the state for 11 of those years. The nursing program had the best test scores in the state - eight of 10 of the last reporting periods since 2011.

"North Idaho College's nursing scores are a reflection of considerable effort by faculty and students working with a high-quality curriculum," said NIC President Joe Dunlap. "I couldn't be prouder of what has been accomplished by the dedicated faculty. All of North Idaho should feel secure and proud knowing NIC produces very high caliber graduates."

Surveys conducted by NIC show employers who employ NIC nursing graduates feel that the students are well-prepared to take on the role of the beginning nurse, Prindle said.

"The faculty are very dedicated to student success," she said. "What I attribute our success to is that the faculty that teach in the classroom also teach in the clinic setting, so that helps the students make linkages from the classroom to the actual practice."

Currently the nursing program has about 154 students. NIC graduates between 35 and 45 students every semester, Prindle said. A complete list of admission requirements for the nursing program can be found on the NIC website at www.nic.edu/nursing.