Home life during the pandemic brought clarity to Nick Martinez.
In 2020, the Tucson native was a University of Arizona graduate with a degree in biology who worked jobs in a lab and at Costco.
But after his dad took a spill while toiling at one of his many home projects, Martinez saved his life. He stopped the bleeding, stabilized his dad, and began to realize over the following months that he wanted to become a nurse.
“My dad almost lost his leg. It got caught in a ladder. They thought we were going to have to amputate it, but in that moment, I was the only one who was able to stabilize the bleeding,” Martinez said. “So in looking back, I realized that my calling was to help people.”
He had considered medical school. But he wanted to change his path and begin his career sooner.
Researching schools, he looked at accelerated programs here in Tucson at Pima Community College, the University of Arizona and Grand Canyon University.
In less than two years, Martinez enrolled, studied, graduated and passed his National Council Licensure Examination or NCLEX — the standardized test required to pass and become a nurse. Martinez is part of GCU’s most successful nursing satellite campus, which has seen a 100% first-time passing rate on the NCLEX exam for the last seven quarters.
Now a nurse in the pediatric unit at Banner University Medical Center, Martinez says it was meant to be.
“I think I’m exactly where I’m supposed to be,” Martinez, 27, said. “I’m learning a lot. I’m having a great time and I truly feel like I’m making a difference in people’s lives.”
A shortage of nurses and nursing programs was amplified by the pandemic. About 100,000 nurses left the job from 2020 to 2021 — the largest drop in more than 40 years, said a Health Affairs nursing workforce analysis. In Arizona, we have 76% of the nurses we need in 2025, according to Vivian Health, a healthcare headhunter.
Three things to know about the Tucson program that’s helped certify 91 nurses here in nearly two years:
1. The hybrid program began here and is one of 12 nationwide for GCU. It is built for students who work other jobs and is a combination of online classes and lab work. “We wanted to be a part of the solution for the nursing shortage, which never goes away,” said Lisa Smith, Dean of the College of Nursing and Healthcare Professions at GCU, adding the school started building the program in 2018 and it launched in 2020. The site here is designed to fast-track students into the workforce, allowing those who already have college credits or a degree to earn their nursing degree in as fast as 16 months. GCU aims for 40 of these sites around the country.
2. Connecting and coaching led to test success. Students connect with mentors throughout their coursework and in a final semester have a coach. The coach works one-on-one with the student with a blueprint or test plan, which could include anything from practice questions for the five-hour test to a venting session about life. “Because we spent that time with them for that whole semester, building the relationship, and adapting that plan individually to them, we have a much better success rate on the back end, because they already know what that plan might look like and also they have that relationship with the coach,” said Amy Leach, GCU Director of NCLEX Success. “They’ve been talking about different things. And this coaching is not just academics. It’s not just test-taking strategies, but it’s a lot of that. It’s not just using your resources, but it’s about the exam itself and how to prepare for that exam, prepare your inner person for that exam.”
3. GCU Tucson achievement beats national and state averages. The Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing site in Tucson has achieved a 100% first-time pass rate on the NCLEX licensing exam for seven consecutive quarters. The 2025 national pass rate average is 87.35% and the Arizona average is 90.56%, according to the Arizona State Board of Nursing. GCU attributes much of this achievement to the dedicated mentor or coach. “It’s all of the things that go into being able to pass an exam, and it also is a lot of life coaching,” Leach said. “It’s a lot of ‘how do we remove barriers or deal with the barriers?’ How do we adjust our expectations because of what life has put in front of us?” Martinez agrees: “The program itself was intense at times. Sixteen months is a very short time so it was a lot of laser focus that needed to happen. I was guided the whole time. From trying to manage the ever-changing schedule to taking those exams.”
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