N460, NCLEX, and Continued Success
By Eddie Vargas, Center for Academic Success Coordinator
When you reach the pinnacle of any endeavor, some may ask how you got there; but what is the question you must ask yourself? Well, the answer is simple: “How do I stay here?” You’ve already answered all the questions thrown at you, and you “made it”, but how do you stay there? Time and time again, we’ve seen a contender become the champion, only to be supplanted by a hungrier, more ambitious opponent. As psychologist Dr. Jordan Peterson puts it: “But success makes us complacent. We forget to pay attention. We take what we have for granted. We turn a blind eye. We fail to notice that things are changing, or that corruption is taking root. And everything falls apart. Is that the fault of reality—of God? Or do things fall apart because we have not paid sufficient attention.”
“A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest, and poverty will come upon you like a robber, and want like an armed man.” – Proverbs 6:10-11
What about the outliers? The few who reach the pinnacle of success, and stay there. The teams or individuals who go undefeated, the ones who make it to the summit and leave while they’re still at the top. How do they do it?
We may not realize it, but we choose to be complacent, we choose to be naïve – perhaps because we’re afraid to fail, or because we’re afraid of the harsh truths of reality. The difference between those who visit the summit and those who stay there is this: Those who stay there never grow complacent, they choose to pay attention, they seek opportunities to improve, and they know what they’re aiming at. As Norman Vincent Peale puts it: “Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss, you’ll land among the stars.”
“If you want to be excellent, staying consistent with your goals and positive habits over time will separate you from the herd of mediocrity. It all starts with a goal. If you don’t have a destination in mind, you’re just adrift at sea going with the flow.” – Jordan Peterson
AUHS’s final BSN course, N460, is a course of high standards. Students must meet a predetermined benchmark for all exams. These benchmarks are higher than the testing platforms’ own benchmarks. Students are made aware of this benchmark from the get-go, they come into N460 with a goal, with something to aim for. All the knowledge they’ve compiled over the past 2-3 years is tested, literally, for eleven weeks. Although the benchmarks have been consistent with N460 for some time, the course itself is evolving, constantly being improved to avoid complacency and to keep the standard of success high.
The ultimate goal for both AUHS and the BSN students is to pass the NCLEX. Students – and those preparing the students – know what they’re aiming for. N460 has been improved and modified, even after the past two cohorts hit 100% on the NCLEX – not necessarily by taking things away, but by adding unto things that worked well!
With that being said, I would like to share some exciting numbers when it comes to our NCLEX test-takers:
- As previously mentioned, our last two cohorts have attempted the NCLEX with a 100% pass-rate.
- Per NCSBN, our 2023-2024 success rate (so far) is: 93.55%, this is 9.21 percentage points higher than last year’s report of 84.34%
- This is also five percentage points higher than the total first-time/U.S. educated percentage of 88.56% (per NCSBN).
