The Nursing program at Mid-State Technical College has again been named a top-ten nursing school in Wisconsin, ranking fourth on the 2024 Best RN Programs in Wisconsin list from RegisteredNursing.org. 

This ranking comes shortly after the Wisconsin Board of Nursing announced Mid-State’s National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses (NCLEX-RN) pass rate of 100 percent for 2023. The perfect NCLEX pass rate is especially impressive when compared to the national first-time pass rate of 87.8 percent.

Pass rates on the NCLEX weigh heavily in the organization’s evaluation of how well a program supports students towards licensure and beyond. Thirty-six colleges in Wisconsin that offer programming leading to an associate in nursing (ADN/ASN), a bachelor’s in nursing (BSN) or a direct entry MSN were part of the evaluation. 

“We’re so pleased to see Mid-State’s Nursing program hold its number four ranking from RegisteredNursing.org,” said Deb Johnson-Schuh, Mid-State’s dean of the School of Nursing. “The success of this program is due to the commitment and dedication of our Nursing faculty.”

“Along with their years of experience in nursing and teaching, our faculty are champions of student success,” added Johnson-Schuh. “We want to see our students succeed in and out of the classroom as well as in the healthcare setting. This is one of the ways we differentiate our program from others and have seen such success within our program.”

Johnson-Schuh also credits the hard-working Nursing students for the program’s success. “Our students impress us each semester with their drive and determination throughout the rigors of the Nursing program,” she said. “It is not an easy feat to pass the NCLEX exam on the first attempt, and our students continue to meet the challenge.”

Other factors that make Mid-State’s Nursing program a standout for students include affordable tuition combined with financial aid availability, the use of technology and real-life clinical training and job placement. Students in the program have also experienced additional skills practice in Mid-State’s state-of-the-art Healthcare Simulation Center at Aspirus Riverview Hospital, which uses medium-fidelity and high-fidelity simulators that replicate nearly all clinical scenarios, including stroke, sepsis infection, bleeding, shock, birthing and more, allowing students to build confidence and learn without the fear of harming a live patient.

The NCLEX is a nationwide exam for the licensing of nurses in the United States since 1982. After graduation from a school of nursing, one takes the NCLEX exam to receive a nursing license. Pass rates reflect the percentage of graduates who pass the exam. Both past and present first-time NCLEX-RN pass rates were part of the analysis and were weighted by year when determining the ranking. 

Based out of Carlsbad, Calif., RegisteredNursing.org promotes excellence in nursing through enabling future and current nurses with the education and employment resources they need to succeed. 

Learn more about Mid-State’s Nursing program at mstc.edu/programs.