Nursing School Graduates Achieve 100 Percent BON Exam Pass Rate

SAN MARCOS – Graduates of the St. David’s School of Nursing at Texas State University have achieved a 100 percent pass rate on the 2016 Texas Board of Nursing (BON) Examination Report.

Texas State is one of just five out of 44 Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) programs to attain a perfect pass rate. Of those five programs, the 82 St. David’s School of Nursing graduates represent by far the largest group.

“I would say this is a new milestone for us,” said Marla Erbin-Roesemann, director of the St. David’s School of Nursing. “We’ve only been in existence since 2010, but if you look at our track record since then, we’ve always been above 90 percent. It’s certainly something most schools aspire to, but it’s very difficult to achieve that year after year.”

When a student graduates from Texas State with a BSN, they are not yet a Registered Nurse (RN), because that is a licensure, Erbin-Roesemann explained. Candidates must take the standardized National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX-RN) exam, and once they pass, they are able to be licensed by the Texas Board of Nursing.

“It’s a computerized adaptive test, and it adjusts the level of difficulty for each taker,” Erbin-Roesemann said. “Every student doesn’t get same questions—it’s based on how you answer each question. It’s fascinating the way they are able to do that.

“Our faculty has done a very good job of educating the students to be a well-rounded, baccalaureate-prepared nurse,” she said. “And all of our graduates thus far, every single graduate of the St. David’s School of Nursing, has passed the NCLEX-RN.” 

About Texas State University: Founded in 1899, Texas State University is among the largest universities in Texas with an enrollment of 38,849 students on campuses in San Marcos and Round Rock. Texas State’s 170,000-plus alumni are a powerful force in serving the economic workforce needs of Texas and throughout the world.  Designated an Emerging Research University by the State of Texas, Texas State is classified under “Doctoral Universities:  Higher Research Activity,” the second-highest designation for research institutions under the Carnegie classification system.