WRNMMC, Bethesda, Md.  –   Training today’s Soldiers to deliver tomorrow’s health care can be said about the Practical Nurse Course (PNC), which recently graduated 29 students from phase two at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center (WRNMMC).
All 29 graduates, Class 22/009, also passed the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX), required for nursing graduates to be licensed as a registered nurse in the United States. This continues a long tradition of graduates of the course passing the NCLEX.

“Recently, there was a nationwide revision of the NCLEX test [that began this year] with a greater focus on clinical judgement,” shared Army Lt. Col. Camisha Boatwright, director of the PNC (68C) Phase II at Walter Reed. “This new test has proven to be difficult for test takers nationwide,” she added.

The mission of the PNC is to provide “responsive training, mentoring and evidenced-based nursing education to enlisted service members, preparing [them] to function as competent practical nurses throughout the full spectrum of health-care operations during peacetime and mobilization,” according to course administrators at the U.S. Army Medical Center of Excellence (MEDCoE) at Joint Base San Antonio (JBSA) – Fort Sam Houston, Texas.

Boatwright explained Soldiers begin the first phase of the course at JBSA, where they receive 11 weeks of didactic study and testing covering human anatomy and physiology, basic medical terminology and concepts, and the fundamentals of nursing.
They then transition to phase two of the course at Walter Reed, lasting approximately 50 weeks.

“Phase two is a very rigorous program that incorporates in depth didactic focusing on advanced anatomy and physiology, expanded use of principles in microbiology, integration of pharmacology, as well as special emphasis of pathophysiology. Additionally, the Soldiers must complete 800 hours of clinical rotations in a variety of settings, such as surgical, pre/post operative, pediatrics, obstetrics, gerontology, emergency room, and critical care. The culminating event for students is to take and pass the NCLEX,” Boatwright explained.

She added that despite the revision of the NCLEX, “MEDCoE PNC programs rank first in the state of Texas and within the top 10 programs nationwide. The [Walter Reed] PNC program consistently ranks as the No. 1 program among all five PNC sites due to performance, total number of graduates and overall NCLEX pass rates.”

After passing the NCLEX, Soldiers are licensed practical nurses and assigned throughout the Military Health System to provide care to beneficiaries and their family members.