Nurses make an impact in their endeavors, and Ohio Northern University continues to make its mark in preparing nursing students for their careers.

RegisteredNursing.org recently ranked ONU’s nursing program seventh among 93 RN programs in Ohio.

The ranking analyzes several factors and is based largely on students’ passage rates on the NCLEX-RN exam over a five-year period, from 2014 through 2018.

College graduates need to pass the NCLEX exam to become practicing registered nurses (RN). The ONU nursing program’s five-year passage rate on the NCLEX nursing board exam is 96.6 percent.

“Much of our success can be attributed to our commitment to clinical experiences that provide our students with relevant, high-impact learning opportunities.

"For example, our students begin clinical experiences during their sophomore year and acquire 210 hours of clinical experience in their senior capstone courses,” said Kami Fox, ONU’s director of nursing and chair of the Department of Nursing.

Beyond the development of technical abilities, ONU emphasizes the personal skills that are valuable in all career fields, particularly health care.

“Quality health care practitioners must be both proficient in professional skills and compassionate toward people,” Fox said. “We look to provide our students opportunities to develop foster that range of abilities.”

For example, Ohio Northern students can become involved in organizations such as Northern Nursing Without Borders, which assists individuals in underserved populations

Interaction between faculty members, who bring strong experience in their fields, with motivated students also is a distinguishing feature of the ONU nursing program.

“We have clinically experienced faculty members in a variety of areas who have strong connections with the students throughout the program,” Fox added. “Most of all, our students are committed to excellence and active learning.”

The ONU nursing program currently enrolls 118 students in its bachelor’s degree program, which prepares students for careers in the growing health care industry.