Practical makes perfect as 13 graduates pass nursing exam

LEWISTOWN -- Tori Foltz had her heart set on becoming a nurse, but she admits she wasn't if it was going to happen.

Until she enrolled in the Practical Nursing program at the Mifflin County Academy of Science and Technology in Lewistown.

"I've been in multiple programs before this nursing program, and this is the one that changed my life," said Foltz, who recently graduated from the Academy. "The instructors in this program care so much about you succeeding and the program helps you grow in confidence and knowledge as you become a nurse."

Nurses make up the largest segment of the healthcare workforce and play critical roles in caring for patients. However, a nursing shortage looms as the result of an aging workforce and other labor pressures from the current healthcare situation.

Which puts pressure on institutions like the Academy to successfully educate graduates.

The Academy recently celebrated all 13 September graduates of its Practical Nursing program passing their National Council Licensure Examinations for Practical Nurses (NCLEX-PN).

According to statistics posted on the National Council of State Boards of Nursing, there have been more than 30,000 first-time testers this year, with about 86.4 percent passing the exam.

Graduate practical nurses must pass the NCLEX-PN in order to become licensed by the Pennsylvania State Board of Nursing. "This is a major accomplishment for our students and this program," said Heather Haines, the Academy's Practical Nursing coordinator. "I feel confident in the changes my faculty and I have implemented over the past few years and all of our students' hard work."

The Academy boasts a rigorous nursing program, which Haines said is rich with clinical experiences that serve to inspire and grow students' innate passion for providing skilled care to others.

Interactive classroom lectures and activities are used in tandem with clinical rotations to build a solid foundation of crucial thinking and decision-making.

The Academy's Practical Nursing program also has multiple county-wide affiliations, exposing students to a variety of healthcare settings and nursing opportunities.

Additionally, an on-campus Nursing Arts Lab and an off-campus Simulation Lab, located in downtown Lewistown, allows instructors to safely prepare students by way of skills practice and by using high fidelity mannequins.

Lauren Heane, another graduate, said the program prepared her for a career in nursing that she longed for. "The PN program gave me some of my best friends and provided me with such a special and rewarding career that I love."

For more information about the practical nursing program, call (717) 248-3933 or visit www.theacademy.net/practical-nursing/