Student Achievement and NCLEX-RN Success: Problems That Persist

While most nurse graduates are successful on the NCLEX-RN licensure examination, certain students continue to be at risk for failure. To understand the complexity of at-risk students and NCLEX-RN failure, systems theory was used to analyze the interdependency of the nursing education system and the nursing student learning system. From this perspective, these problems relate to flaws in perceived learning gaps and student outcome measures. Predicting NCLEX-RN success is further complicated because students leave the teaching system prior to taking the exam, making them vulnerable to other influencing variables. The student's approach to learning (SAL) theory was used to aid in identifying effective strategies. The literature supports this theoretical approach, which targets changing the teaching and learning environment. However, there is limited research on the nursing student's approach to learning, on the benefits of innovative student-centered learning environments, and the most effective use of NCLEX-RN assessment products.