Congratulations are in order for the Nursing Program at Merritt College which was recently ranked the No. 1 RN program in the state by registerednursing.org.

The honor is based on the pass rates of the NCLEX-RN exam (National Council of Licensure Examination) which is the standardized exam that is used to license professional nurses in the state.

Merritt College, one of the four Peralta Colleges serving the East Bay, is proud to report that its Nursing Program has had an average 99% NCLEX “pass rate” for the past several years. Out of the 126 nursing schools in California, Merritt College was named No. 1 from the top 50 that were ranked.

“This is a wonderful acknowledgement for our program,” says Program Director Dawn Williams. “Our faculty is passionate about our students, the instruction we provide, and public safety. This honor is a testimony to the rigor and effectiveness of our program that our students are able to perform so well on their state board exams and will go on to successful careers contributing to the community.”

Shortly after the announcement was made, the Nursing office was flooded with congratulatory messages from all over the Merritt campus, starting from Interim President Marie-Elaine Burns and including Counselor Etna Ross who summarized everyone’s sentiments by writing, “I am daily impressed with the quality of the nursing program, the competencies of the people who are running it, and the department’s commitment to continually maintaining high standards and diversity and producing outstanding nurses.”