Website: Orangeburg-Calhoun Technical College’s ADN program third in region

Orangeburg-Calhoun Technical College’s Associate Degree Nursing program has been named the third-best ADN program out of 733 nursing schools in the Southeast by NursingProcess.org.

OCtech “has consistently delivered outstanding results, and the 100% first-time NCLEX-RN pass rate of its graduates is testimony of the college’s commitment towards its students’ success,” the website says.

The website looked at more than 2,726 nursing schools nationwide and ranked them regionally based on four factors: academic quality, NCLEX-RN pass rates, reputation and affordability. Each factor weighed equally in the final analysis. The Southeast region consists of schools in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia.

Academic quality is based on acceptance, enrollment, graduation and retention rates. According to the site, a school with consistently high first-time pass rates over the past four years indicates excellent program delivery and successful teaching pedagogy.

For reputation, the website considered such factors as faculty credentials, the use of technology to enhance student learning, available student support services, and college rankings, ratings and student reviews from online publications. To gauge affordability, average tuition costs and financial aid opportunities were considered.

NursingProcess.org was founded in 2011 by an independent group of educators and health care professionals to help students choose the best educational path to become a registered nurse.

Registration is currently underway for spring classes. To learn more about OCtech’s Health Science and Nursing Careers Prep programs, contact Dr. Stefanie Gadson Brown at 803-535-1380 or gadsonsc@octech.edu. For more information about the ADN program, contact Susan Chavis at 803-535-1294 or chavissa@octech.edu.