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BISMARCK, ND — Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, the ���˲ؾ��� is once again at the very top of all nursing schools across the U.S. Nursing’s national benchmarking service, Mountain Measurements, ranking ���˲ؾ���’s program No. 1 in America. The yearly report is based on the April 2020 through March 2021 Bachelor’s of Science in Nursing (BSN) graduates who took the National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses (NCLEX-RN) exam. The entire ���˲ؾ��� graduating class who took the licensure exam for the first time passed.

The ���˲ؾ���’s prestigious nursing program has developed a trend of consistently being at, or near the top every year. This year is no exception, with Mary’s nursing program scoring the best among 945 similar programs, and No. 1 at the national level finishing first among 2,145 schools across the country.

“There are several factors that account for the high scores,” said Dr. Glenda Reemts, professor and chair of the Division of Nursing at the ���˲ؾ���. “These students are so thoroughly skill-tested before they even get to the NCLEX exam and into the workforce. Nursing faculty work with students to prepare for the exam. Our curriculum follows industry quality and safety standards, which is critical. And the CHI senior-year-free scholarship incentive is available to nursing students who maintain a 3.0 GPA throughout their undergraduate years which helps set a high academic standard and provides a peace-of-mind for the nursing student.”

Reemts, who has been at Mary for 31 years, has led the nursing program, its faculty, and students to prominence over those years. After she retires this summer, Dr. Billie Madler and Dr. Annie Gerhardt will continue Reemts’ legacy and the program’s high standards as the new associate dean of nursing and chair of undergraduate nursing, respectively. Both are award-winning teaching faculty and doctors who have nearly 50 years of nursing experience in areas including emergency and urgent care, rural health care, family practice, and providing medical service in the North Dakota National Guard.

“The Mountain Measurement Report is just one achievement that indicates understanding of safe practice,” said Gerhardt, who is also a major in the North Dakota National Guard. “However, hands-on learning, direct supervision, and personal one-on-one attention provided by faculty at the ���˲ؾ��� empowers and verifies each student’s ability to know and demonstrate clinically competent nursing care prior to graduation. Nursing is a profession that requires great intelligence, motivation, but more importantly resilience. Despite the challenges placed on students and faculty with COVID-19, the ���˲ؾ��� undergraduate faculty surrounded the students with positive influence, encouragement, and support to achieve another level of excellence.”

“As a flagship program of the ���˲ؾ���, our goal is to sustain the pioneering leadership of our founders, the Benedictine Sisters of Annunciation Monastery,” said Madler. “We are committed to the Mary legacy of preparing highly competent and compassionate nurses eager to fulfill their own caring ministry to individuals, families, and communities.”

In 1959, when the Benedictine Sisters of Annunciation Monastery founded the school as Mary College, nursing was one of only two offerings, and has proudly spent the past 60 years perfecting its curriculum into one of America’s premier nursing programs today. From day one, they set the standards high and built a stellar reputation around the nursing program.

Anyone interested in the ���˲ؾ��� nursing program can visit www.umary.edu/nursing.

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True to its motto “lumen vitae”—The Light of Life—the ���˲ؾ��� offers education for the whole of life through cutting-edge professional programs and graduate programs animated by moral courage and leadership in chosen professions and service to the community. A private, co-educational Catholic institution, the ���˲ؾ��� welcomes students of all faiths and backgrounds.

A Christian, Catholic, Benedictine institution founded in 1959 by the Benedictine Sisters of Annunciation Monastery, Mary offers nearly 60 bachelor’s, 15 master’s, and five doctoral programs—in Business Administration, Education, Nursing Practice, Occupational Therapy and Physical Therapy. The 19-sport Athletic Department adheres to its Greatness Through Virtue mission under the governance of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and American Collegiate Hockey Association (ACHA) conferences. With more than 3,800 students, Mary has locations in North Dakota, Montana, Kansas, Arizona, Rome, Italy, as well as vibrant online offerings.