(Riverton, WY) – The 2024 Nurse’s Gala was held in the Rustler gymnasium Saturday night, signaling the end of the semester is nearing for Central Wyoming College students.
The gala allowed all current nursing students to connect with local healthcare facility representatives, generate scholarship money, and celebrate the nursing program.
Now an annual event, the nursing students spent the evening serving food and tending to attendees while mingling and networking.
Last year, enough money was raised to give all incoming second-year nursing students a $500 scholarship, according to one of the event organizers, Rhonda Whelan. That number increased after last night’s gala; they raised enough to give $750 scholarships.
The evening also included a presentation from CWC Nursing Director Stacey Stanek, who presented data on how graduates perform on their boards, other metrics, and just how successful the CWC Nursing Program is compared to statewide and national numbers.
Last year’s graduates took the new NCLEX, a nationwide examination for the licensing of nurses, for the first time, Stanek explained.
“I am proud to say that we again ranked number one in Wyoming.”
They had a 100 percent pass rate.
“For all ADNs in the country, we were number one out of 1,076. The USA total, with all program types, including bachelor’s degrees, we were number one out of 2,035.”
It was shared that of last year’s 29 graduates from CWC’s Nursing Program, 24 stayed in Wyoming.
“The majority of our graduates are choosing to remain in Wyoming and work in healthcare facilities around the state, which is very exciting,” Stanek said. “We need that.”
To learn more about the CWC Nursing Program, click here.