Optimizing NCLEX-RN Pass Rate Performance Using an Educational Microsystems Improvement Approach.

Area of Science:

• Nursing Education
• Quality Improvement Science

Background:

• Optimizing first-attempt pass rates for the National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses (NCLEX-RN) is critical for Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing (ABSN) programs.
• Existing NCLEX-RN pass rates in the ABSN program required enhancement.

Purpose of the Study:

• To implement and evaluate improvement methods to increase NCLEX-RN first-attempt pass rates within an ABSN program.
• To enhance student preparation and mastery for the NCLEX-RN examination.

Main Methods:

• A multidisciplinary improvement team, including nursing faculty and students, was formed.
• Two Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) cycles were employed to increase practice questions and mastery.
• Inferential statistics and statistical process control analyses were used to assess the impact of interventions.

Main Results:

• The number of practice questions per student increased significantly from 1,000 to 2,130 (p < .01).
• Average practice test mastery scores improved from 6.8 to 7.2 on an 8-point scale (p < .05).
• First-attempt NCLEX-RN pass rates rose from 76.7% to 86.2% (p < .05).

Conclusions:

• Microsystem-based improvement efforts effectively enhanced ABSN student performance on the NCLEX-RN.
• The study demonstrates the value of structured improvement cycles in nursing education for exam success.