Caption: ASCC Nursing Department Chair Lele Ah Mu-Mageo (front, center) joins the Fall 2006 Nursing students for a group photo. The Nursing Department will hold its 2006 Recognition Ceremony this coming Tuesday at 6 p.m. in the ASCC auditorium. (Photo: ASCC)

This Tuesday’s ceremony will honor nine students who have completed the Nursing Department’s program for Practical Nurses (PN), and in the program for Registered Nurses (RN). Department Chair Lele Ah Mu-Mageo explained that earning their certificates or degrees marks a major step in the students’ development within the medical profession, but not the final one. “Besides completing our program, the PN and RN students must also take the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX) to earn their qualifications within the field of nursing. Once they pass the NCLEX, they can work in any hospital in the U.S.”

            The Nursing Department curriculum prepares the students for the PN or RN versions of the NCLEX, an extensive test which may last up to five or six hours. The nursing students schedule their NCLEX exams, administered locally, on their own initiative when they feel ready. Should they not pass on their first try, they may retake the NCLEX after a 45-day waiting period. Nursing instructor Patricia Brooks reports that the rate of ASCC students passing the NCLEX on their first attempt has risen steadily over the past few years, thanks in part to grant funding generously provided by Governor Togiola Tulafono. “The Governor’s grant has enabled us to strengthen the program in some crucial areas,” says Brooks, “and you can see the results in the number of our RN students who have already passed the NCLEX and earned their licenses.”

            Of the seven Registered Nursing students finishing their AS degrees this semester, five have already earned their licenses: Tuaotala Fa’alilo, RN; Sandra Lei Ho Ching, RN; Pone Matatia, RN; Frances Togia-Saelua, RN; and Taufauomalo Tuimaleali’ifano, RN. Laisarini Hanipale and Annie Ma’ae have earned their degrees, but will sit the NCLEX at a future date. Among the nine students receiving their certificates in Practical Nursing, May Brannon, LPN, has additionally earned her license. Other graduates in the PN program currently preparing for the NCLEX include Deidre Esteron, Honorine Hollister, Christopher Ibasco, Danielle Jennings, Regina McComber, Ana Talapa, Panacea Tuaua, and Corabelle Tusiofo.

            This Tuesday’s ceremony will feature opening remarks from ASCC President Dr. Adele Satele-Galea’i, special remarks from Hon. Gov. Togiola Tulafono, and a keynote address by adjunct faculty member Christine Peters, RN, BSN.  Reverend Uluao Failauga will perform the invocation, and Board of Higher Education Chairman Tauiliili Pemerika will give the closing remarks. The graduates have chosen the motto “Ave Lo’u Ola Ia Aoga/Dedicate My Life to Serve” as the theme for the occasion.

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