All of the nursing graduates of Morgan State University passed the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX-RN exam) for the first time since the HBCU launched its nursing program in 2008. This makes Morgan’s nursing program the only four-year program in Maryland to record a perfect pass rate in fiscal year 2018. All nine of the graduates of the Morgan School of Community Health and Policy’s Nursing Program recipients passed the exam on their first attempt.
“Achieving this goal is yet another testament to the hard work, perseverance and commitment of the nursing faculty and the graduates who demonstrated what they had learned, from a content (analysis/application perspective) and what they’ve learned as professionals as it relates to the qualities ingrained in them throughout the program,” said Maija Anderson, D.N.P., R.N., director of Nursing Programs at Morgan State, in a statement. “We continue our drive towards excellence in nursing education with the knowledge that we can more than adequately prepare excellent nurses for the workforce here in Maryland and abroad. This knowledge supports our ongoing mantra, ‘Semper Ad Meliora,’ which simply means ‘always towards better things.’”
In order to become a registered nurse, prospective caregivers must pass the rigorous NCLEX exam, which consists of a series of complex questions.
“This is a milestone moment for the Nursing Program, the School of Community Health and Policy and Morgan State University,” said Kim Dobson Sydnor, Ph.D., dean of the School of Community Health and Policy. “Providing qualified nurses under an accredited program, who will both increase and diversify the nursing workforce, brings a great sense of pride and accomplishment. We will continue to work to maintain a level of excellence that meets and exceeds accreditation standards.”
The Baltimore-based college created the nursing program “in response to the national nursing shortage, an underrepresentation of minorities in healthcare, and the healthcare disparities between the residents of Baltimore and the larger society,” reads a statement.
In addition to a lack of black nurses, there has also been a shortage of black doctors hailing from HBCU’s. Back in 2002, 29% of black med school applicants graduated from historically black colleges, however, by 2013, that percentage dropped to 16%.
Selena Hill is the Digital Editor at Black Enterprise and an award-winning multi-media journalist. She is also the founder and co-host of “Let Your Voice Be Heard!,” a political podcast that adds a sprinkle of trap music, Beyonce, and hot sauce to unseasoned news.
