Students' Midprogram Content Area Performance as a Predictor of End-of-Program NCLEX Readiness

Area of Science:

• Nursing Education
• Predictive Analytics in Healthcare Education
• Student Assessment and Performance

Background:

• End-of-program predictive testing is common for identifying students at risk of failing the National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses (NCLEX-RN).
• Current end-of-program testing often occurs too late in the program for effective intervention.
• A need exists for earlier identification of at-risk students to improve NCLEX-RN success rates.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore the relationship between performance in specific nursing content areas and end-of-program assessment scores.
• To identify early indicators of potential NCLEX-RN failure based on content area assessment performance.
• To inform the development of timely remediation strategies for nursing students.

Main Methods:

• Utilized regression and relative importance analysis.
• Examined the relationship between scores from nine distinct content area assessments.
• Assessed the predictive validity of these content area assessments against an end-of-program assessment.

Main Results:

• Scores in specific content areas, notably medical-surgical nursing and care of children, were found to be significant predictors of end-of-program test performance.
• These findings suggest that early performance in core nursing subjects is indicative of overall program success.
• The study identified key content areas that can serve as early warning signs for students struggling with program material.

Conclusions:

• Early and ongoing assessment of student performance in critical content areas is vital for predicting success on the NCLEX-RN.
• Remediation should be implemented at the first indication of lagging performance in foundational nursing subjects.
• This approach can enhance student preparedness and ultimately improve NCLEX-RN pass rates.