SFA’s DeWitt School of Nursing recognized for excellence

NACOGDOCHES, Texas – The Richard and Lucille DeWitt School of Nursing at Stephen F. Austin State University has been recognized by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board as a Program of Excellence in Nursing Education.

The board recognizes nursing programs that achieve a graduation rate of 85 percent or higher, along with at least an 85-percent passing rate on the licensure test for registered nurses. The Dewitt School of Nursing is one of only 18 of the 90 nursing schools in Texas to meet the graduation benchmark, most recently reporting an 88-percent graduation rate and a 93-percent passing rate on the licensure exam.

Enrollment in the nursing school is on the rise. More than 250 nursing students currently are enrolled in the SFA program, along with more than 1,050 pre-nursing students.

Dr. Glenda Walker, director of the DeWitt School of Nursing, attributes the increase in applications and pre-nursing majors to statewide recognition of the nursing program for its excellence in curriculum, facilities and faculty.

“The nursing program has always excelled in committed, dedicated faculty who use state-of-the-art teaching strategies to produce graduates that are recognized as exceptional nurses,” Walker said. “With the addition of a new facility in 2010, the nursing school now has a facility that also is recognized as a national leader in simulation as a teaching/learning strategy for students.”

The Ed and Gwen Cole Simulation Lab has been named a Laerdal Center of Excellence, and more 16,000 hours of simulation clinical experiences are conducted in the facility each year.