Analysis of differences in entry-level RN practice by educational preparation

The National Council of State Boards of Nursing performs a practice (or job) analysis every 3 years linking the NCLEX-RN to practice through assessment of current RN job tasks. Although the primary purpose of the practice analyses is validation of the examination, data also may be used to assess for differences in practice by subsets of nurses. A secondary analysis of the 1999 RN Practice Analysis was performed to explore any divergence in practice attributable to educational preparation. The average frequencies of performance of 189 nursing activities were computed separately for graduates of associate degree (ADN) and baccalaureate degree (BSN) nursing programs and compared. Results demonstrated a .98 Pearson r correlation between the averages of the two groups. Both groups performed routine nursing care activities with the greatest frequencies and demonstrated more complex or advanced skills, such as teaching and managing care, at similar lower rates. Differences in the averages between the two groups were negligible. For 144 (76%) of the activities, differences were less than .25 on a scale of 0 to 5.