St. Mary’s nursing school ranked among Virginia’s best by national industry groups

St. Mary’s Hospital School of Practical Nursing is racking up national honors in 2020. The program, a joint venture of Henrico County Public Schools and Bon Secours St. Mary’s Hospital, was tabbed by PracticalNursing.org as Virginia’s No. 3 program for licensed practical nurses. Nursing Schools Almanac named the school the commonwealth’s No. 6 program for licensed practical nurses in 2020, and Virginia’s No. 26-ranked program overall.

Both PracticalNursing.org and Nursing Schools Almanac arrived at their rankings by compiling each nursing program’s pass rate among first-time test-takers on the National Council Licensure Examination for Practical Nurses. They used data taken from several-year periods when available.

“The rankings don’t surprise me, because I see every day how our faculty goes above and beyond to be sure our students are successful,” said Jennifer McCrickard, HCPS health, and medical education specialist and the program’s coordinator. “We have a strong, competitive nursing program with excellent program outcomes. Rankings that reflect that are important for students who attend and graduate from our nursing program, and for applicants when they’re choosing a program.”

Henrico County-St. Mary’s Hospital School of Practical Nursing was launched in 1965. The 18-month program is approved by the Virginia Board of Nursing and the Virginia Department of Education, and accredited by the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing.