UND nurse anesthesia grads score 100 percent on exam UND nurse anesthesia grads score 100 percent pass rate on national board exam, besting average by 20 points University of North Dakota College of Nursing anesthesia grads just got news that they all passed this year’s national board exam on their first attempt. “This 100 percent pass rate is a terrific accomplishment and one we’ve come to expect from the UND College of Nursing, but one we should never take for granted and fail to celebrate,” says UND president Charles Kupchella, himself a former medical researcher. The national average pass rate on the first try on the National Certification Exam of the American Association of Nurse Anesthetists is about 80 percent, notes UND nursing dean Chandice Covington. This is a stellar accomplishment for the UND College of Nursing, which continues its distinguished long-term track record of placing highly qualified graduates directly into the workforce, Covington notes. The recent 100 percent pass rate on a vital national board exam underscores UND nursing’s commitment to preparing graduates for prosperous careers in a very demanding profession. To help ensure that only competently educated practitioners enter this field, licensing authorities across the country require each candidate for licensure to pass a national exam that measures the competencies needed to perform safely and effectively as a newly licensed nurse anesthetist, Covington explains.