Wilson Community College achieves first-ever 100% NCLEX pass rate through partnership with Elsevier Edge

Building a culture of care

When Dr. Miranda Yelverton became Dean of Health Sciences at Wilson Community College (WCC) in Wilson, NC, she knew success would depend on more than just strong academics. It would depend on people.

Her first goal was to build a team of nurse educators who were not only skilled but deeply compassionate. “I wanted people who really cared,” she says. “Not just about teaching content, but about teaching students.”

As an example, WCC’s team of nursing educators conduct community outreach for high school students to gain exposure to their nursing programs and explore nursing as a career opportunity.

That commitment shows up in every corner of WCC’s program, from self-care days where students make stress balls and practice mindfulness, to simple classroom moments when instructors pause a lesson for deep breathing exercises.

“We can’t expect students to learn when they’re overwhelmed,” she says. “We model the same care we expect them to show their patients.”

Teaching the teachers

Dr. Yelverton also reimagined how new faculty were trained. Instead of assuming that nurse educators automatically know how to teach, WCC created a formal mentorship process that helps them grow into their roles.

“Most nurses were taught through lectures, but that’s not how students learn best,” she explains. “Our mentorship program gives new instructors the tools, coaching, and confidence they need to create active, engaging classrooms.”

That philosophy of caring for students and for one another has become the foundation of the program’s success.

Transforming teaching and learning

Once her team was in place, Dr. Yelverton led a major redesign of the curriculum to align classroom learning with clinical practice. The first lessons now focus on safety, communication, and fundamentals before moving into more complex skills.

Elsevier Edge, an integrated curriculum offering, played a central role in that transformation. Through Sherpath, Sherpath AI, and Shadow Health, students can engage with evidence-based content, interactive simulations, and AI-powered practice scenarios that mirror real-life patient interactions.

“Our students can make safe mistakes and learn from them,” she says. “That’s what builds confidence before they ever step foot in a hospital.”

Simulation is also deeply embedded across the program, from on-campus labs to Wilson Medical Center’s dedicated simulation center. Students work with high-fidelity AI mannequins and even a maternal simulator capable of full childbirth experiences.

“If they don’t see it in clinical, we can simulate it here,” Dr. Yelverton says. “That’s where knowledge becomes practice.”

Data-driven student success

Behind the scenes, Elsevier’s integrated tools give faculty the insights they need to identify at-risk students and intervene early.

Using HESI Compass, HESI exams, and Elsevier Adaptive Quizzing (EAQ), Dr. Yelverton and her team track performance trends across courses and cohorts. “If a student is scoring below 850 on HESI and barely passing their course, we flag them for intensive remediation,” she explains. “We meet with every student one-on-one, talk about what’s going on in their life, and tailor the support they need.”

The faculty also uses Elsevier’s professional development resources and educator lesson plans to incorporate active learning strategies. “The instructor resources give my team great ideas for bringing content to life,” she says.

Nursing program results that speak for themselves

When Dr. Yelverton arrived, WCC’s nursing program was strong but inconsistent. Pass rates hovered between 70-80%. Within a few years, the transformation was complete: WCC achieved its first-ever 100% NCLEX pass rate for both its LPN and ADN programs.

“It’s the first time in 15 years our college has seen 100%,” she says proudly. “I think it’s the relationship-building, the data, and the active learning. And Elsevier’s products helped make this happen.”

The power of community colleges

For Dr. Yelverton, the achievement is about more than numbers. It’s about what community colleges make possible.

“Community colleges are the backbone of local education,” she says. “We’re affordable, we’re accessible, and we open doors for students who might never have thought college was an option. Many of our students quit their jobs to be here. They take incredible leaps of faith to build a better life, and it’s our privilege to walk that journey with them.”

That mission of access and empowerment aligns perfectly with Elsevier’s belief in preparing practice-ready nurses who serve their communities from day one.

Partnership that empowers

Dr. Yelverton credits Elsevier’s partnership and support as key to sustaining that momentum. “The training, the resources, the responsiveness are all unbeatable,” she says. “When I started here, we moved from another company to Elsevier and adopted it heavily into every course. With the support of the HESI Compass coaches and Elsevier team, we’ve built relationships that mentor students toward success.”

The result is a program where compassion meets data, learning meets technology, and students graduate ready to serve.

Dr. Yelverton credits Elsevier as an important partner in that journey–one who was there every step of the way. “We’re very proud of what we’ve achieved,” she says.

About Elsevier Edge

Elsevier Edge supports nursing students’ core learning journey by providing interconnected learning tools that build student knowledge and clinical judgment and enable you to accurately assess their NCLEX and patient readiness.