UWM’s Undergraduate Nursing program recently earned UWM’s highest national ranking of #74 in a 24-college/university tie*, placing UWM in the Top 11% of Nursing Schools across the Nation.
Only nine groupings separated UWM’s Nursing School from 1st as they moved up in rankings this year.
Student Perspective
To better understand UWM’s Nursing Program’s successes (by acknowledgment from peer universities), students and faculty note their perspectives on the educational direction and successes UWM’s Nursing School provides:
“As a student in UWM’s Nursing School and a member of the Nursing Student Association, I’ve seen firsthand what makes this program stand out. Courses like Pathophysiology & Pharmacology and Advanced Health Assessment provide a strong academic foundation, while hands-on clinical experiences prepare students for success after graduation. Dr. Lisa Brennan and Dr. Melissa Brown have been instrumental in my development as a pre-nursing student, offering guidance and mentorship that helped me build confidence and navigate the early stages of the program. UWM also offers excellent career networking opportunities, from alumni panels to the Nursing Career Fair, connecting students with healthcare organizations in and out of state.”
– Ashley Miller, a UWM student and Vice President of UWM’s Nursing Student Association (NSA).
Miller continued by providing advice to other students, “Completing the program is challenging but achievable, thanks to strong faculty support, advising and peer mentorship.”
Nursing Professor Perspective
Professor Jennifer Doering, Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and Head of School for UWM’s School of Nursing, explained the successes experienced this past year: “Last year, UWM’s nursing program graduated several hundred students and over 80% will stay right here in Milwaukee and southeast Wisconsin to care for our community…”
Doering continued, “…We prepare students to begin their first position as a professional registered nurse; however, to start a position, graduates have to secure that ‘R.N.’ after their name. That RN credential comes from passing a national exam called the NCLEX-RN. UWM’s pass rate for NCLEX-RN last year was 95.9%.”
95.9% is an impressive pass rate, which builds confidence for students progressing toward their R.N. national exam (NCLEX-RN).
Professor Doering noted the relationships students develop and the programs UWM’s Nursing School provides (which contribute to program successes): “The success our students have in completing the professional nursing major is due in large part to the structures of support our faculty and staff provide to students…”
“…advisors have close relationships with students to guide them through the process of completing the prerequisite requirements and applying for admission to the professional nursing major,” Professor Doering said.
Professor Doering detailed some of the specific programs they use to benefit students:
“We also use a software program called ATI that is embedded in the curriculum to support students to learn to pass the NCLEX exam. Students can do unfolding case studies, complete remediation, and even complete predictor tests to see what their probability is of passing the exam. We also support our students with supplemental instruction and tutoring.”
Professor Doering pointed out that student organizations and faculty’s individual experience and self-motivated networking make UWM’s School of Nursing a “meaningful and rich learning environment.”
Lastly, Doering identified the professional opportunity experiences that UWM’s School of Nursing provides:
“…Our students learn in a wide variety of environments locally by having clinical experiences in long-term care facilities, schools and other community-based sites, along with acute care settings like hospitals. We also have study abroad and research opportunities for our students to learn with our faculty and in partnership with agencies around the world. Our students also go through multiple simulations in our new 23,000 sq ft James and Yvonne Ziemer Clinical Simulation Center to help them gain experience with, for example, high-risk situations like a code, that they may see rarely in the clinical environment.”
The future success of UWM’s School of Nursing and its development through the continued blend of faculty and students’ interactions will be exciting to see.
Their goal-oriented programs, which focus on certifications, careers and further studies, seem to set a standard in excellence for those beginning their nursing profession.
*NOTES:
U.S. News and World Report: (Ahead of 612 other colleges/ universities and after 15 tied for 59th, 19 tied for 28th, 6 tied for 22nd, 9 tied for 13th, 5 tied for 8th, 2 tied for 6th, 2 tied for 4th, 2 tied for 2nd, and Duke University earned 1st ranking).
This ranking was determined during the spring and summer semesters when deans and senior faculty rated peer programs on a 5-1 scale (outstanding to marginal).
The two highest and lowest peer assessments are removed to reduce outliers’ impacts.