NCLEX-RN

NCLEX-RN
Name	NCLEX-RN
Type	Licensure examination
Administered by	National Council of State Boards of Nursing
Country	United States

NCLEX-RN The exam is a standardized licensure examination for registered nurses administered in North America and recognized by multiple regulatory bodies. It determines readiness for entry-level practice and is tied to licensure decisions by state and territorial nursing boards, influencing employment at hospitals, clinics, and public health agencies.

Overview

The examination was developed through collaboration among the National Council of State Boards of Nursing, American Nurses Association, Commission on Graduates of Foreign Nursing Schools, Joint Commission, and educational institutions such as Johns Hopkins University, University of Pennsylvania, University of California, San Francisco, Yale University, which informed psychometric and curricular standards. Policy discussions have involved stakeholders including U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, World Health Organization, Pan American Health Organization, and labor groups like American Federation of Nurses. Historical regulatory changes were influenced by cases and legislation involving entities such as the Supreme Court of the United States, Health Resources and Services Administration, Institute of Medicine, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and accreditation organizations including Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing.

Eligibility and Registration

Eligibility criteria are set by individual boards such as the New York State Board of Nursing, California Board of Registered Nursing, Texas Board of Nursing, Florida Board of Nursing, and territorial boards like the Puerto Rico Board of Nursing. Applicants typically hold credentials from programs at institutions like Columbia University School of Nursing, Rush University, University of Michigan School of Nursing, Emory University School of Nursing, or international bodies such as the Nursing and Midwifery Council and Canadian Nurses Association. Registration processes involve organizations including Pearson VUE, Prometric (historically), and credentialing agencies like Educational Testing Service for allied exams, coordinated with documentation from schools, immigration authorities such as U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, and credential evaluators like World Education Services.

Exam Content and Format

Test content reflects practice areas emphasized by curricula at Boston College],] Duke University School of Nursing, University of Toronto, McMaster University, and specialty organizations like American Association of Critical-Care Nurses and Association of periOperative Registered Nurses. Question formats derive from item-writing workshops influenced by psychometricians at Educational Testing Service, National Board of Medical Examiners, American Educational Research Association, Pearson, and researchers at Columbia University Teachers College. Content categories correspond to clinical fields represented in hospital systems such as Mayo Clinic, Cleveland Clinic, Massachusetts General Hospital, Kaiser Permanente, and public health settings like Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Simulation and clinical judgment items echo frameworks from Benner's Novice to Expert scholarship and guidance from Institute for Healthcare Improvement.

Scoring and Passing Standards

Scoring employs psychometric models developed by experts affiliated with American Psychological Association, National Council of Measurement in Education, University of California, Berkeley, and research centers at RAND Corporation and Brookings Institution. Passing standards are set by nursing boards such as those in New York, California, Texas, Florida, and coordinated through the National Council of State Boards of Nursing. Policy shifts have been debated by organizations including the Institute of Medicine and Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, with legal and regulatory oversight involving the Supreme Court of the United States and state administrative law tribunals.

Preparation and Study Resources

Candidates prepare using materials from publishers and institutions like Kaplan, Inc., Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, Elsevier, F.A. Davis Company, and review courses offered by universities such as University of Washington, University of British Columbia, McGill University, Georgetown University, and commercial providers like Hurst Review Services and NRSNG. Practice items and content outlines are informed by standards from American Nurses Association, specialty guidance from American Association of Critical-Care Nurses, Association of Women's Health, Obstetric and Neonatal Nurses, and evidence syntheses from Cochrane Collaboration and National Guideline Clearinghouse (historical). Test-prep communities and resources reference clinical protocols from World Health Organization, textbooks like those by Barbara Kozier, Suzanne Smeltzer, and organizational competency frameworks from Institute for Healthcare Improvement and Quality and Safety Education for Nurses.

International and State-Specific Considerations

International applicants interface with regulatory bodies such as the Nursing and Midwifery Council (UK), Canadian Nurses Association, Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency, and credential evaluators like World Education Services and International Council of Nurses. State-specific rules vary across boards like the California Board of Registered Nursing, New York State Board of Nursing, Texas Board of Nursing, and territories such as Puerto Rico Board of Nursing; legal contexts have involved courts including the Supreme Court of the United States. Employers that reference licensure include Mayo Clinic, Cleveland Clinic, Johns Hopkins Hospital, and public agencies such as Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Health Resources and Services Administration.

Category:Licensing examinations