Affording nursing students with essential knowledge to ensure first time NCLEX-RN success is a significant challenge and responsibility of nurse educators. Inherent in this challenge, is facilitating student learning to such a degree that there is a high probability of success on NCLEX-RN. Additionally, nursing programs must consistently provide high quality education as health care and nursing practice is complex and dynamic; curricula must address these complexities. Multiple nursing programs have examined academic variables related to standardized examination and first time NCLEX-RN success.
A 2016 retrospective descriptive study sought to identify variables associated with HESI exit examination and first time NCLEX-RN success. As a result, new and innovative teaching/learning strategies were implemented throughout the curriculum. Faculty were offered continued education related to classroom instruction, test item question development, and the NCLEX-RN test blueprint. These strategies have since demonstrated an increase in NCLEX-RN percentage pass rate for first time test takers. The purpose of this more recent study (2019) in the same nursing program was to determine like and/or different variables associated with student success for the more recent graduating cohorts.
Methods:
A retrospective descriptive study examined administrative and academic data of 505 students who graduated in spring and summer semesters in 2016, 2017, ad 2018. Participants were students enrolled in a southeastern university baccalaureate-nursing program, which was the same nursing program as the 2016 study mentioned above. The data examined included pre-nursing composite admission scores, enrollment semester, graduating in or out of sequence, sciences grades, specialty standardized exam scores, and NCLEX-RN first attempt success. These cohorts were divided into two groups for comparison due to a change in curriculum, where specialty standardized exams were affected. Using logistic regression analysis, differences in the groups were identified.
Results:
The first group included students who enrolled in the program from fall 2014 to spring 2016. The second group included students who enrolled fall 2016 to spring 2017. A difference between these two groups was one specialty exam due to a curricular change. The second group’s specialty exam included Critical Care versus Assessment. Using logistic regression analysis, results for the first cohort (n=324) indicated that students’ performance in their Assessment, Dosage Calculation, Fundamental, and Med-Surg specialty exams can statistically significantly predict their first time passing the Exit specialty exam, while their performance in the Pharmacy, OB, and Med-Surg specialty exams can significantly predict their success in first time passing NCLEX-RN exam.
Results for the second cohort (n=181) revealed that students’ performance in the sciences, if they were on sequence or not, and performance on the Pharmacy and Critical Care specialty exams can significantly predict their first time passing the specialty Exit Test. Students who scored higher on the specialty exams, had higher science grades, were in-sequence, and were more likely to meet benchmark on the specialty Exit exam.
Conclusion:
These findings contribute to the growing body of literature looking to identify variables associated with success in nursing programs and on the licensure exam. The processes faculty undertook in efforts to enhance student success were effective.