The Nursing program at Washington State College of Ohio (WSCO) is again receiving recognition as a top nursing school, both in Ohio and the Midwest.

“We pride ourselves on having outstanding faculty who truly care about the success of our students and the future of the nursing profession. That fact, combined with our well-equipped labs and the strong partnerships we maintain with area hospitals, are what makes our nursing program exceptional. It’s also the reason the state approved Washington State to offer a bachelor’s of science in nursing.” 

WSCO Director of Nursing Tricia Schaad

MARIETTA, OHIO— The Nursing program at Washington State College of Ohio (WSCO) is again receiving recognition as a top nursing school, both in Ohio and the Midwest.

NursingProcess.org, a website dedicated to providing statistics and information related to nursing education and the profession, ranked WSCO’s Associate Degree Nursing (ADN) and its Practical Nursing (PN) programs number one in the state of Ohio.

In addition to its state rankings, WSCO also had stellar regional rankings. Its ADN program ranked second among 674 nursing schools in the Midwest region and the PN program ranked seventh among the 660 PN programs. The Marietta, Ohio-based programs were compared with schools from Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, and Wisconsin.

“It’s a tremendous honor for our nursing programs to receive this magnitude of recognition. These rankings are evidence of their rigor and quality,” said WSCO Director of Nursing Tricia Schaad. She further credited the top rankings to the stellar faculty, state-of-the-art facilities, and community partnerships.

“We pride ourselves on having outstanding faculty who truly care about the success of our students and the future of the nursing profession. That fact, combined with our well-equipped labs and the strong partnerships we maintain with area hospitals, are what makes our nursing program exceptional. It’s also the reason the state approved Washington State to offer a bachelor’s of science in nursing.”

Earlier this year, Washington State was one of the first community colleges in Ohio to receive state approval to offer a bachelor of science in nursing (BSN) degree. Later this year they hope to complete the final phase of the process so they can launch their BSN bridge program in the Fall of 2023.

WSCO’s nursing program, approved by the Ohio Board of Nursing, has a long history of excellence in nursing education. They have consistently maintained above-average pass rates. The ADN program’s current National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses (NCLEX-RN) pass rate is 100%, which is more than 17% higher than the national average and nearly 21% above the state average. The PN program’s current National Council Licensure Examination for Practical Nurses (NCLEX-PN) pass rate is 95%, which is 16% higher than the national average and 21% above the state average.

Washington State College of Ohio offers multiple pathways for individuals to begin or further their nursing career. Admission is based on high school or college GPA, ACT or TEAS score, references and completion of program pre-requisites. All students in various pathways are able to connect with a nursing success coach to improve their opportunities for course and program completion.

For more information on the WSCO Nursing program, visit wscc.edu/academics/health or contact Admissions at 740.568.1900.

NursingProcess.org’s rankings are based on licensure exam pass rates from the last five years, academic quality, which includes enrollment graduation, and retention rates, as well as NursingProcess.org editorial staff ratings, each nursing school’s reputation, and affordability. The data required for these rankings was gathered from IPEDs, State Board of Nursing websites, U.S. News & World Report, Niche, Grad Reports, Rate My Professors, and the official school websites.