Brenham Campus and Online-Blended Vocational Nursing Students Post 100% Pass Rate on National Exam

Graduates are now certified to meet the high statewide demand for vocational nurses

This is a remarkable group of students. They overcame a lot of challenges through their hard work and dedication. Their accomplishment is even more impressive because of the COVID-19 pandemic. We are very proud of all of them.

- Michelle Marburger, Vocational Nursing Program Director

Each student in the Blinn College-Brenham Campus and onlineblended vocational nursing programs passed their national licensure exam in 2020.

In the Brenham Campus program, Kaylee Bernick (Brenham), TreAndranique Green (Bryan), Brittany Greene (Houston), Nakyshia Guyton (College Station), Mallory Hanath Chappell Hill), SydniHavel (Giddings), Brooke Hynes (Brenham), Shelby Jones-Dunk (Ellinger), Latajez Josey (Sealy), Jaquel Londo (Hempstead), Monica Million (Somerville), Kayden Pieper (Brenham), Lisa Prestwood (Brenham), Jessica Rodriguez-Salas (Brenham), Taylor Singer (Bellville), Deja Tolbert (Bellville), Christina Trevino (Somerville), Dulce Valles (Brenham), Brooke Vinklarek (La Grange), Nickoya Virgil (Katy), Lydia Weigelt (Brenham), Sarah Wiltshire (College Station), Alencia Woodberry (Brenham), Shelby Wunderlich (Weimar), Ashley Yantz (Giddings), and Daniela Zamora (Brenham) passed the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX-PN).

The 10-month Brenham Campus program includes classroom, laboratory, and clinical training. Clinical rotations are held at hospitals and other healthcare facilities throughout the area. According to the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, almost 98% of Blinn’s graduates from the program during the past three years have found jobs in the profession.

“The sheer abundance of knowledge and experience from our instructors truly led to our success,” graduate Lydia Weigelt said. “When COVID hit, it was a very trying time for all of us, but they never gave up on anyone. Readying our class for both the NCLEX and our future nursing endeavors is all owed to them.”

From the online-blended program, Kyle Coleman (North Zulch), Jirah Heard (Houston), Jenny King (Washington, Texas), Sarah Truelove Naumann (Bryan), Charlotte Linthicum (Franklin), Crystal Robertson (College Station), Wendy Rosenfeld (Bryan), Kirsten Rushing (Bryan), and Abby Sefcik (Brenham) each passed their NCLEX.

The 12-month online-blended program is designed for students who may already have a job and covers the material over a longer span than the traditional 10-month program.

“I am very proud of them,” Marburger said. “They worked really hard. They were having to learn while taking care of their children. Schools were closed, kids were trying to learn online, our students were trying to learn online … the challenges were real.”

Blinn graduates consistently post first-attempt passing rates well above the Texas and national averages. From 2015-2019, 97% of the graduates from the Brenham Campus program passed the NCLEX-PN on their first attempt. The Texas NCLEX-PN average for vocational nursing candidates was 87.57% and the national average was 84.2%.

Graduates who pass the state board exams are qualified to work in a variety of settings, including home health care, dialysis, hospitals, clinics, and physicians’ offices. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the 2019 annual median pay for a vocational nurse was $47,480.

For more information regarding Blinn’s Vocational Nursing Program, visit www.blinn.edu/vocational-nursing.