Paper
Friday, 21 July 2006
This presentation is part of : Obtaining Evidence of Reliability and Validity for Computerized Examinations Used in Graduate and Undergraduate Nursing Programs
Evaluating student success & curricular outcomes with HESI exams in ADN and BSN programs
Karen Murray, DrPH, RN, College of Nursing, Texas A&M University - Corpus Christi, Corpus Christi, TX, USA, Carolyn Merriman, APRN, MS, BC, Family/Community Nursing, East Tennessee State University, Johnson City, TN, USA, and Ainslie Nibert, RN, PhD, Health Education Systems, Inc. (HESI), Houston, TX, USA.
Purpose:  Determine the effectiveness of Health Education Systems Inc. (HESI) Admission Assessment (A2), Specialty, Custom, and Exit Exams (E2) in evaluating student success and curricular outcomes in an associate degree nursing (ADN) and two baccalaureate degree nursing (BSN) programs.
Design:  A comparative, correlational design was used to analyze relationships between nursing students’ HESI scores and final course grades in clinical courses.
Population, Sample, Setting, Years:  The sample consisted of 264 ADN students enrolled 2000 - 2003; 79 BSN students enrolled 2000 – 2002 in Tennesssese; and 121 BSN students enrolled 2000 – 2002 in Texas.
Concept or Variables Studied Together:  HESI A2, Custom, Specialty, and E2 scores; final course grades; and NCLEX-RN outcomes.
Methods:  Pearson r correlations were calculated on HESI scores and final course grades. Chi squares were used to detect any differences in NCLEX-RN performance based on HESI scoring interval or NCLEX-RN predictive accuracy by program type. A discriminant function analysis was used to determine the A2’s predictive ability.
Findings:  Significant correlations (P<.05) were found among all HESI scores and final course grades in corresponding courses in all curricula, with the exception of one course. Predictive accuracy was calculated at 96.43% for ADN students, 98.53% for Tennessee BSN students, and 94.87% for Texas BSN students.  No significant differences (P < .05) were found in the predictive accuracy of the E2 by program type, but significant differences (P<.05) were found in NCLEX-RN outcomes among E2 scoring intervals. A discriminant function analysis indicated that the A2 was significantly predictive (P<.000) of nursing school success.
Conclusions: HESI exams provided an effective evaluation of  student performance in both AD and BS nursing programs.
Implications:  The study’s results supported the use of HESI exams as a means of obtaining evidence of curricular effectiveness in both ADN and BSN curricula.

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