University of North Georgia (UNG) nursing students took first and second place in the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX) Bowl that included teams from 15 other nursing programs at the 67th annual Georgia Association of Nursing Students (GANS) Convention.

"The contest was similar to Family Feud," said Juan C. Villamizar, a junior pursuing a nursing degree and vice president of UNG's chapter of the GANS on the Dahlonega Campus. "Once we answered 10-15 questions, others teams were falling behind and were eliminated. Near the end our UNG teams were competing with each other."

Villamizar attributed UNG's strong performance to the rigorous program students undergo. GANS faculty advisers Sue McGill, senior lecturer of nursing, and Kim Burns, assistant professor of nursing, agreed.

"We are teaching them to be critical thinkers and winning the Bowl was evidence that they are becoming just that," McGill said.

A record 24 UNG nursing students attended the conference Oct. 25-27 in Athens, Georgia. The convention brings in fellow nursing students from across the state to network, attend nursing clinical sessions and learn about nursing in healthcare today.

UNG also earned "Newsletter of the Year" for the monthly GANS newsletters produced by students.  

"It was very rewarding to see that our hard work and creativity was recognized," said Heidi Migalla, communications chairwoman of the GANS group on UNG's Gainesville Campus.