Paper
Thursday, July 22, 2004
9:30 AM - 10:00 AM
Thursday, July 22, 2004
2:30 PM - 3:00 PM
Student-Centered NCLEX-RN Preparation
Lois Sarah Marshall, PhD, RN, CPN, University of Miami School of Nursing, Coral Gables, FL, USA and Angela Marie Romack, BSN, School of Nursing, University of Miami, Coral Gables, FL, USA.
| Learning Objective #1: n/a |
| Learning Objective #2: n/a |
As nursing students prepare for graduation and licensure, it is imperative that nurse educators provide the best preparation for clinical practice and the first step in that process is to prepare nursing graduates for the licensure examination for registered nurses. Not only has the number of first time test takers of the NCLEX-RN decreased from 1995 to 2002, by 26.9% (NCSBN, 2003) but the number of first time test takers who successfully pass is less than 100%, a direct impact on the current nursing shortage. It is up to nurse educators to find innovative methods to assist students from diverse backgrounds to be successful on the NCLEX-RN on initial attempt. At the University of Miami, one of the most valid predictors for licensure success is the Mosby Assesstest (Marshall, 1999). Based on that finding, a NCLEX-RN preparation program was initiated in 2002 to address the low NCLEX-RN pass rate for first time test takers. Students in the practicum class were given the Mosby Assesstest as a pretest. Based on the findings, individualized test plans for each student were developed and a faculty mentor was assigned to work with them for a required 12 hours. Faculty mentors were oriented to the NCLEX-RN blueprint, methods of instructing students for licensure preparation, and student learning styles. Students were instructed individually and in groups based on their learning styles and areas of weaknesses. Prior to completion of the course, students were given a second form of the Mosby Assesstest to measure differences from pretest to posttest. There was a significant difference between scores with the individual student acting as their own control. NCLEX-RN scores improved by over 20 percentage points. Structured, individualized instruction made a significant impact on this class. Follow up studies are currently being conducted.
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Sigma Theta Tau International
July 22-24, 2004