Every student in Blue Mountain Community College’s Class of 2017 Nursing and Dental
Assisting programs passed their respective national board examinations on the first try, giving BMCC a 100-percent pass rate in both programs.
Nursing
All 19 BMCC Nursing students who graduated in June from the program, passed the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX), a standardized exam that every state board of nursing – including Oregon – uses to determine whether or not a nursing program graduate is prepared for nursing practice in increasingly complex healthcare systems. Graduates must pass the NCLEX to earn the Registered Nurse License. All 19 graduates passed on the first attempt of the exam. Just three of Oregon’s 16 community college nursing programs had a 100-percent pass rate for 2017.
BMCC’s Nursing program is a member of the Oregon Consortium for Nursing Education (OCNE); a shared curriculum with Oregon Health Sciences University (OHSU). BMCC students are co-enrolled with OHSU and offered the same classes at a much lower tuition rate. BMCC graduates have the opportunity to begin working as a nurse immediately, and if desired, may complete one additional year of study online to earn a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from OHSU.
Dental Assisting
In Oregon, dental assistants are not licensed, but must be certified in order to take x-rays or to perform certain expanded function. BMCC Dental Assisting graduates have the ability to become Certified Dental Assistants (CDA) through the Dental Assistant National Board (DANB) by taking three national examinations and one Oregon examination. All nine of BMCC’s Dental Assisting graduates for 2017 passed these important examinations to become Certified Dental Assistants, giving BMCC a 100-percent pass rate. Employers prefer job candidates with a DANB certification, so BMCC graduates who’ve passed their exams
have an edge over other potential candidates.
BMCC’s Dental Assisting program curriculum is designed to not only meet CODA (Commission on Dental Accreditation) standards, but more importantly prepares and produces the best dental assistants possible. The reading, assignments, testing, lab and clinical practices are all in preparation for taking the national examination.
“I’m so proud of our students in both the Nursing and Dental Assisting programs for earning these certifications after two years of very challenging, hard work,” said BMCC President Cam Preus. “This 100-percent pass rate is a testament to the high-quality instructors with real life experience we have at BMCC who are able to provide the knowledge, skills and attitude necessary for these specialized jobs.”
The Nursing and Dental Assisting programs are the only ones at BMCC that have pre-admission course requirements, and student must apply for entry into the program. They are limited-entry programs, with the dental assisting cohort capped at 17 students and the nursing at 24.
