Florida has the worst passing rate on national nursing exam in the country
10 February
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis speaking with attendees at the 2021 Student Action Summit, hosted by Turning Point USA at the Tampa Convention Center in Tampa, Florida.
Florida nursing students are passing the national licensure exam at higher rates than in the past decade, but the rates remain the worst in the country, according to a report published Monday.
The state’s 2024 pass rates for registered nurses and practical nurses to get their licenses (84.9% and 80.78%, respectively) are well under the national average, which was 91.16% for RNs and 88.38% for PNs, according to the annual report from the Florida Center for Nursing.
The gap between the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX) Florida scores and the national average are the closest they have been in 10 years, having rebounded after 2020 and 2021, when the gap neared 18%.
Passing the national exam is one of the steps toward becoming a licensed nurse, determining how many people can enter the workforce. Although a higher rate of candidates passed last year, the number who passed remained the same because more people took the tests in 2023. More than 16,000 students passed the exam.
The report focuses on scores of first-time takers.
“We’ve been looking at our test takers in Florida and the length of time from graduation until they take the test, and those that take the test within one to two months have a greater likelihood of being successful on the first attempt compared to those who take the test later,” said Rayna Letourneau, executive director of the Florida Center for Nursing.
Those who took the test a month after graduating had the highest passing rate, 94.32%. More than 800 students took the exam more than a year after finishing their program and their passing rates dwindled to 48.61% at the one-year mark.
Letourneau pointed to the decrease in test-takers from programs that closed or that the Florida Board of Nursing had shut down — 433 students in 2024 compared to 1,051 in 2023.
Florida is investing millions into bolstering the nursing workforce. During last year’s legislative session, then-Senate President Kathleen Passidomo spearheaded legislation increasing Florida’s investment in the health care industry.
For the 2024-2025 fiscal year, the state put $5 million toward grants for nursing programs to increase their capacity. However, only programs with at least a 75% passing rate on the licensure exam can apply for the funds.
Letourneau is scheduled to present the findings of the report to the Florida Senate on Wednesday and the House on Feb. 19. “There’s not a single solution. It really is a complex problem,” Letourneau said.
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