Accreditation & Program Outcomes

Western's Nursing Program is accredited by Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN).  Programs accredited by ACEN voluntarily meet rigorous educational standards which are verified through a peer review process.  Not all programs of nursing in the United States chose to pursue accreditation.

Western's Nursing Program is also approved by the Wyoming State Board of Nursing (WSBN).  The WSBN ensures that the nursing curriculum and content delivery meet professional and quality standards.

End of Program Student Outcomes

Both ACEN and the WSBN require stringent monitoring of student outcomes.  Listed below are the various metrics used to assess the success of the program and its graduates.

Western NCLEX First-time Pass Rates Compared to National Average 
Western Benchmark: Exam pass rates will be at least 80% for all first time test takers during the same 12 month period.

Western		Wyoming	National
2022	91%	82.5%	79.9%
2021	83%	83%	83%
2020	94.12%	83%	82.8%
Pass Rates reported by Calendar year

 

 NCLEX First-time Pass Rates by Year/Cohort/Delivery Type
Western Benchmark: Exam pass rates will be at least 80% for all first time test takers during the same 12 month period.

May Cohort	All Students	Face-to-face Theory	Synchronous Online Theory	Advanced Placement
2022	91% N = 32 *One tester from 2021 cohort	83% N=12	95% N=19 *One tester from 2021 cohort	NA
2021	83% N=35	85% N=17	80% N=12	100%  N=1
2020	94.12% N=34	95.6% N=23	90.9% N=11	N=0
Re-entry students calculated in actuals.

 

Nursing Program Completion Rates
2021 Western Benchmark: 70% of students will complete program in four semesters (on time completion).

2020 Western Benchmark: 70% students will complete program in 150% of time.

	All Student	Face-to-Face	Synchronous Online Theory	Advanced Placement
2020-2022	N= 31/40 77.5%	12/16 75%	19/24 79%	0/1 0%
2019-2021	N=34/30 85%	N=21/24 87.5%	N=12/16 75%	NA

 

Western Graduate Satisfaction Survey Results
Western Benchmark: Average student response will be a rating greater than or equal to 3.5 on a 5-point Likert Scale

2023 Graduate Survey (2022 Graduates) N=15  41% Response Rate
Benchmark >3.5	All	Face-to-Face (N=8)	Synchronous Online Theory (N=8)
Safety	4.6	4.88	4.63
Clinical Judgment	4.6	4.75	4.38
Leadership	4.5	4.75	4.25
Patient Centeredness	4.6	4.88	4.38
Professionalism	4.75	4.88	4.63
Health Promotion	4.6	4.75	4.5
Prepared to be a Beginning Competent Nurse	4.75	4.88	4.63

 

Service Area Employer Satisfaction Survey Results
Western Benchmark: Average employer response will be a rating greater than or equal to 3.5 on a 5-point Likert scale

2023 Employer Survey (2022 Graduates) N=9   56.3 Response Rate
Benchmark > 3.5	All
Safety	4.44
Clinical Judgment	4.22
Leadership	4.11
Patient Centeredness	4.44
Professionalism	4.44
Health Promotion	4.33
Prepared to be a Beginning Competent Nurse	4.44

 

Number of Recent Graduates Employed in Nursing Field      

Western Benchmark: 85% of graduates are employed in the field of nursing if they desire, 8 months post-graduation.

	Acute Care	Mental Health	Long Term Care	Home Health or Hospice	School	Clinic/Office	Other
2022 N=18	16 89%	2 11%	0	0	0	0	0
2021 N=18	5 13.9%	1 7%	1 7%	1 7%	0	1 7%	6 40%
2020 N=32	18 56%	1 3%	8 25%	0	0	5 16%

 

 End-of-program Student Learning Outcomes and Program Outcomes

Component	Assessment Method(s)*	Expected Level(s) of Achievement	Results of Data Collection (2022)
EPSLO #1: Safety Provide safe nursing care within the healthcare system.	NURS 2400 Management of Care Clinical Evaluation Tool- Safety Section	80% of students will receive Instructor Rating at 2 or above	80.6% of students received a 3 or above on MOC Eval. (N=31)
	NURS 2400 ATI Comprehensive Predictor- RN	Group score at or above national average on the ATI RN Comprehensive  predictor for Safety and Infection Control	ATI Predictor Safety and Infection Control: Group Score 70.4% (N=31), Individual national mean 74.5%.
EPSLO #2:Clinical Judgment Incorporate prior knowledge, current research, and clinical experience in decision-making.	NURS 2400 ATI Comprehensive Predictor-RN	Group score at or above individual national mean on Mountain Measurement for Management of Care  Measurement changed from 68% to at or above national means for 2023.	Management of care Group score 74.4 (N=31) Individual national mean: 76.3%
	Employer Survey Results	Rating >3.5/5 on 5 point Likert scale on Employer Survey Clinical Judgment Question	Employer Survey Clinical Judgment Rating 4.22/5 (N=9)
EPSLO #3: Leadership Demonstrate leadership skills as part of an interprofessional team to promote desired outcomes.	NURS 2400 Poster Presentation	80% of students will receive 75% or above on graded assignment	100% of students achieved at or above 75% on graded assignment (N=31)
	Mountain Measurement Results	Group Score at or above passing level on Mountain Measurement Management of Care	Mountain Measurement  Management of Care: Group score 59% (N=31); passing score 50%
EPSLO #4: Patient Centeredness Use effective communication and advocacy to provide individualized care.	NURS 2400 ATI Comprehensive Predictor	Program group score at or above national group mean on ATI RN Comprehensive  predictor  Psychosocial Integrity	ATI Predictor  Psychosocial Integrity Program:  Group score 70% (N=31); National group mean 70.7%
	Mountain Measurement Results	Group score at or above passing level  on Mountain Measurement Basic Care and Comfort	Mountain Measurement Basic Care and Comfort:  Group  score 58 (N=31). Passing score 50%
EPSLO #5: Professionalism Practice within the core values, principles, and standards of the nursing profession.	NURS 2400 Management of Care (MOC) Rubric Results	89% of students received an instructor rating of 3 or higher on Management of Care Final Clinical Evaluation Tool	96% of students achieved an instructor rating at 3 or above on Clinical Evaluation Tool (N=31)
	Employer Survey Results	Rating >3.5/5 on 5 point Likert scale for professionalism question	Employer Survey Results: 4.44/5 (N=9)
EPSLO #6: Health Promotion Utilize the nursing process and a broad knowledge base to maximize health.	NURS 2400 ATI Comprehensive Predictor-RN	Program group score at or above national group mean on the ATI RN Comprehensive predictor Health Promotion and Maintenance	ATI Predictor Health Promotion and Maintenance: Group score 72.8% (N=31): National group mean 66.6%
	Mountain Measurement Results	Group score at or above passing level on  Mountain Measurement Health Promotion and Maintenance	Mountain Measurement Health Promotion and Maintenance: Group Score 52% (N=31); Passing Level 49%
Exam Pass Rate+ NCLEX Certifications	NCLEX Scores	Licensure examination pass rate will be at least 80% for all first-time test takers during same 12 month period	2022: All Students:NCLEX Pass Rates 2022: 90.6%  (N=32) May 2022 Graduation Cohort: 93.5% Face to Face: 83.3% (N=12) Distance: 100% (N=19)