Nursing Schools Almanac Ranks STCC Nursing Among Top Two-year Programs

SPRINGFIELD — The nursing program at Springfield Technical Community College (STCC) is among the top 10 two-year programs in Massachusetts, according to Nursing Schools Almanac. The program at STCC was ranked in a list of the Best Associate Degree in Nursing Programs in Massachusetts: 2020 Rankings.

“We are honored to be selected as one of the best in the state,” said Christopher Scott, dean of the School of Health & Patient Simulation. “I’m proud of our talented faculty and staff who challenge our students to do their very best. Our graduates are prepared to start rewarding careers or transfer to four-year colleges or universities to continue their education.”

Students in STCC’s health programs get the opportunity to work on patient simulators in the SIMS Medical Center at STCC, a unique program in the region.

“It is a great program,” said Monica Aldrich, who expects to graduate in May. “You have to dedicate yourself to the two-year program. It’s condensed and rigorous. They are not kidding when they tell you that you need to apply yourself.”

Aldrich praised the professors for their commitment to supporting students. “They’ve all given us their personal phone numbers. That’s not generally done, but it’s vital and important.”

The program has served as a launching pad for successful careers. “I came to STCC, probably not realizing how hard it was going to be,” said Carrie Morgan Eaton, who works as director of Simulation-based Education at the University of Connecticut School of Nursing and also serves on the faculty. “The nursing program was rigorous. It was the hardest two years of my life. In all of my education, through to my Ph.D., the two years of associate degree were very difficult. STCC prepared me well. I think that any student who graduates from Springfield Technical Community College’s nursing program should be incredibly proud. It is a wonderful place to receive your education.”

For its 2020 rankings of associate degree nursing programs, the research team at Nursing Schools Almanac compiled an extensive database of student performance on the National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses (NCLEX-RN). Aspiring registered nurses in the U.S. must pass this examination before they may commence practice. The almanac compiled data from 2009 to 2018 and noted that the student performance on the NCLEX-RN exam provides an excellent benchmark for comparing the relative quality of associate-degree programs.

It’s not the first time STCC’s Nursing program has been named in one of Nursing Schools Almanac’s ‘best’ lists. In 2018, the almanac ranked STCC’s program as one of the top 75 in New England.