Five Philadelphia-area nursing programs, including Thomas Jefferson and Temple University, are now off a state watch list as more graduates are passing the licensure exam, writes Abraham Gutman for The Philadelphia Inquirer.

These university programs are once again operating without any special oversight from the nursing board after more than 80% of their graduates passed the licensure exam on their first attempt, according to data from the Pennsylvania State Board of Nursing.

Educators attributed the improvement to the return to in-person returning after COVID-19 shutdowns and a change in exam design.

The new exam is better able to measure how graduates will work with patients, they said.

The overall pass rate for first-time test takes in Pennsylvania was 91% compared to 84% last year.

Other local nursing programs that no longer require oversight include Gwynedd-Mercy University, Widener University, and the associate of science in nursing program at Delaware County Community College.

Read more about local nursing programs in The Philadelphia Inquirer.

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