Adams State University nursing students proved once again you can’t keep a grizzly down. The graduating class of 11 all passed their NCLEX exams on first try.

Adams State Director of Nursing Melissa Milner, DNP, said the entire nursing department is proud of the graduates, who had to finish out their senior year online due to COVID-19. “Nursing students’ senior year is really big academically. They passed their clinic hours and didactic (theory courses) remotely. We are really proud of them.”

The entire department was dedicated to preparing the students for the NCLEX. “This spring the faculty made themselves available seven days a week. They worked really hard to lessen the blow of moving from face-to-face instruction to remote. Kudos to them, they worked really hard,” Milner said.

All the graduates were offered positions in their careers or hired immediately. “It was a scary time to start out in the medical profession,” Milner added. Many hospitals decreased orientation from six weeks to three due to the increased demand with the pandemic.

Currently there are 15 nursing students in the senior cohort; 20 in the junior cohort and they are expecting to add 26 to the spring sophomore cohort.

“We have consistent faculty and a great curriculum in place. I am very confident of the high caliber of students going through our program,” Milner said.

The National Council Licensure Examination is a nationwide examination for the licensing of nurses in the United States and Canada since 1982 and 2015, respectively.