Frequently Asked Questions
ABOUT THE BACHELOR OF SCIENCE IN NURSING PROGRAM
HOW LARGE ARE NURSING CLASSES AND HOW
MANY STUDENTS ARE IN A CLINICAL SECTION?
There is an average of 65-70 students per lecture class. Lab sections for certain nursing classes have an average of 15 students, while clinical sections range from six to 10 students.
WHAT IS THE NATIONAL COUNCIL LICENSING EXAM (NCLEX) PASS RATE?
Valparaiso University nursing graduates boast a NCLEX pass rate of 94-96%, consistently higher than the national average of 86-93%.
CAN I BE INVOLVED IN ACTIVITIES OTHER THAN NURSING?
Nursing students participate in choir, band, dance team, cheerleading, athletics, fraternity and sorority life, and numerous other groups on campus. Nursing students are encouraged to participate in student organizations where they can explore their passions and make life-long friends. This helps them become active members of the campus and community.
HOW DO WE PREPARE STUDENTS FOR THE STATE BOARD EXAMINATION?
Faculty participate in workshops and in online courses, and they are skilled at writing test questions to prepare students for the licensing exam. They use test review sessions to emphasize important concepts and stress priorities of care. Professors work with students to assist them with test taking and study strategies. In each clinical course, students must demonstrate content mastery using Assessment Technologies Inc. online testing programs. Students must pass the Comprehensive Exam at the completion of the program.
WHERE ARE NURSING CLASSES HELD?
While students will have their science and general education courses in a variety of University buildings, nursing classes take place in both LeBien Hall and Promenade West. The Center for Experiential Learning (CEL) and our state-of-the-art simulation lab provides students with realistic practice situations to learn clinical decision-making in a non-threatening environment. Technologies, including virtual reality, create learning experiences that realistically mimic various care settings. The CEL includes mock individual skill stations with patient simulators and a nursing station with patient case studies. Simulation-based learning provides students with opportunities to practice psychomotor skills, become familiar with instruments and equipment, gain experience in recognizing problems, develop cognitive decisionmaking skills, debrief regarding the emotions involved in the care of patients, and refine patient care techniques.
WHERE DO NURSING STUDENTS LIVE?
Nursing students live in University housing with other students. This gives nursing students the opportunity to make friends in other majors. Nursing students do not have any clinical experiences that require them to live off campus, however, many upperclassmen, commuter, and transfer students may live off campus.
DO I NEED A CAR?
Students most often carpool to clinical locations. It is helpful for nursing students to have a car when they begin clinical experiences the second semester of their sophomore year. While owning a car is not mandatory, access to a car is necessary, as students are responsible for getting to their clinical sites.