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Nursing students achieve 100 percent test pass rate
Practice makes perfect.To 14 students studying nursing at Clarke County High School, that is more than just an axiom.
It is an apt description of how they recently achieved the rare distinction of achieving a 100 pass rate as a class in April, when taking a national exam that tested the problem-solving and basic care skills they have learned.
The national standardized exam consists of a written test and an evaluation of skills such as, for example, making an occupied bed, checking blood pressure and other vital signs and functions, and transferring a patient from a bed to a wheelchair.
That compares with a pass rate of 80 percent nationwide and 67 percent statewide this year, according to statistics provided by Pearson Vue, a Pennsylvania company that does the testing onsite at the school.
The group includes three students in the fundamentals of nursing class and 11 in the nurse aid class.
All gave instructor Jane Tavenner, who is also the school nurse, high marks for helping them achieve that distinction, saying she encourages them to learn and works alongside them to practice their skills.
But Tavenner returned the credit, saying the students make it easy to teach them. Each strives to do well and works well with her and the others, she said.
“They’re smart, for one thing; I have really good students,” Tavenner said.
As part of their studies, the students get practical experience in applying their knowledge during 40 hours of clinical care at the Rose Hill nursing care facility in Berryville, Tavenner said.
“They do excellent patient care,” Tavenner said. She added that the evaluator who did the testing also complimented the students’ polite and respectful behavior.
“This class . . . really is a life-changing experience for everyone who is in it,” said senior Sandra Fields, president of the school’s chapter of the Health Occupations Students of America, a community service club, which last week conducted a blood drive at the school. “It's because we are learning about helping people.”
The students said the desire to help others prompted them to elect the course, which is accredited by the Virginia Board of Nursing. Several expressed a desire to further their studies in various medical specialties, such as neonatal care and surgery.
And several said they already have begun working part-time in the profession after school at the Rose Hill care facility.
Contact the reporter at rmarlow@timespapers.com
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