Issue link: https://beckershealthcare.uberflip.com/i/1398595
61 NURSING SPOTLIGHT Florida nursing school put on probation for low NCLEX pass rates By Gabrielle Masson T allahassee-based Florida A&M Uni- versity School of Nursing was put on a two-year probation by the state's nurs- ing board because of its low first-time passing rates, the school's news publication FAMU Forward reported June 2. FAMU nursing students had a first-time National Council Licensure Examination pass rate of 63.44 percent in 2019 and 66.67 percent in 2020. e Florida Board of Nursing requires programs meet the national average first-time pass rate of about 91 percent. e FAMU pre-licensure program will be reevaluated in January 2022 to determine if probation will continue for the second year, said Shelley Johnson, EdD, MSN, dean of the nursing school. Administrators submitted a detailed plan of action to improve the pass rate. While improvements were integrated in fall 2020, additional evidence-based improvements will be applied over the coming months, Dr. Johnson said. "e data shows we are trending upward and our preliminary interventions are working," said Dr. Johnson, who was hired in 2020 to revitalize the program. "If you compare the first quarter data in 2020 to the first quarter data in 2021, you will see that there has been approximately a 20-per- centage point increase from December 2019 graduates, which was 57 percent, to the De- cember 2020 graduates, which was 76 percent," Dr. Johnson said. "is increase occurred with only partial remediation measures applied." "Our goal for 2021 is to reach the first-time NCLEX pass rate of 90 percent," Dr. Johnson said in a letter to students. FAMU's School of Nursing was previously placed on probation in 2018 aer two consecu- tive years of low passing rates on license exams. e nursing school remains accredited. n New York hospital doubles sign-on, referral bonuses to recruit nurses By Kelly Gooch O lean (N.Y.) General Hospital, part of Upper Allegheny Health System, said it is seeking nurses and offering incentives to help with those efforts. The hospital has more than 200 nurses. However, it needs more, with the need varying by unit, Greg Kloss, senior director of human resourc- es for Upper Allegheny Health System, told Becker's in June. "Hospitals everywhere are experiencing a nurse shortage," he wrote in an email. "Retirements and nurses electing to move to other opportu- nities such as traveling nurses or non-acute positions. This is a national issue. There are not enough nurses to meet the demand nationwide." Immediate openings at Olean General are in the emergency room, medical-surgical area and intensive care unit. Mr. Kloss said many other units and services have sufficient staffing. To recruit nurses, Olean General has doubled bonuses for sign-on and for recruitment referral. Mr. Kloss did not disclose the specific bonus amounts but said they "are competitive with other hospitals." Upper Allegheny Health System, which also includes Bradford (Pa.) Re- gional Medical Center, has been working on recruiting efforts through- out 2021, according to the Olean Times Herald. Mr. Kloss said other efforts include paid advertising and working with the union bargaining unit that represents Olean General nurses to look at ways to recruit and retain experienced nurses. Additionally, he told the Times Herald that Olean General had recently hired 22 new nurses, mostly graduates of Jamestown (N.Y.) Commu- nity College. Some have already started their role, while others will start June 21. Mr. Kloss told the newspaper Olean General also hired nine full-time, experienced nurses. n Pennsylvania is 36th state to adopt multistate nursing license By Mackenzie Bean P ennsylvania is now one of 36 states that offers a more flexible licens- ing option for nurses. Gov. Tom Wolf signed a bill to include the state in the Nurse Licensure Compact July 1. The compact allows registered nurses and licensed practical/vocational nurses to practice in-person or via telehealth with one multistate license in all participating states. "Today, Pennsylvania moves forward in ensuring we are able to meet the ever-increasing demand for nurses to meet the healthcare needs of our residents," state Sen. Lisa Boscola, who sponsored the bill, said in a news release. "While the pandemic has highlighted this need in the short term, being a member of the Nurse Licensure Compact is also crit- ical in the long run for our state's residents." n