Preparing underemployed Latino U.S. nurses through the Mexico NCLEX-RN Success Program

Area of Science:

• Nursing Education
• Healthcare Workforce Development
• Cultural Competency in Healthcare

Background:

• Critical nursing shortage in U.S.-Mexico border communities.
• Need for linguistically and culturally concordant nurses due to growing Latino populations.
• Underemployment of Latino nurses educated in Mexico.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the effectiveness of the 16-week Mexico NCLEX-RN Success Program.
• To address the linguistic and cultural adaptation needs of Mexican-educated nurses for the NCLEX-RN.
• To enhance the nursing workforce in U.S.-Mexico border communities.

Main Methods:

• Implementation of an innovative 16-week program.
• Focus on linguistic and cultural adaptation to multiple-choice testing.
• Support for underemployed, Mexican-educated Latino nurses.

Main Results:

• Ten program students took the NCLEX-RN, achieving a 50% pass rate.
• The program's pass rate is double the average for internationally educated candidates.
• Demonstrated potential for workforce capacity building.

Conclusions:

• The program effectively prepares nurses for the NCLEX-RN.
• It addresses the critical need for culturally and linguistically concordant nurses in border regions.
• Supports the professional integration of underemployed Latino nurses.