PURPOSE: The dimensionality of examinations provides empirical evidence of the internal test structure underlying the responses to a set of items. In turn, the internal structure is an important piece of evidence of the validity of an examination. Thus, the aim of this study was to investigate the performance of the DETECT program and to use it to examine the internal structure of the Korean nursing licensing examination. METHODS: Non-parametric methods of dimensional testing, such as the DETECT program, have been proposed as ways of overcoming the limitations of traditional parametric methods. A non-parametric method (the DETECT program) was investigated using simulation data under several conditions and applied to the Korean nursing licensing examination. RESULTS: The DETECT program performed well in terms of determining the number of underlying dimensions under several different conditions in the simulated data. Further, the DETECT program correctly revealed the internal structure of the Korean nursing licensing examination, meaning that it detected the proper number of dimensions and appropriately clustered the items within each dimension. CONCLUSION: The DETECT program performed well in detecting the number of dimensions and in assigning items for each dimension. This result implies that the DETECT method can be useful for examining the internal structure of assessments, such as licensing examinations, that possess relatively many domains and content areas.
Korea ; Licensure* ; Methods ; Nursing*

AIM

To determine the reliability of the Philippine nurse licensure examination (PNLE) results from 2010 to 2019.

The PNLE first-time pass rate (FTPR) is a major criterion used to evaluate nursing program quality. There is wide variability in PNLE results ranging from 0% to 100% across nursing schools. There are no published studies to investigate the reliability of the PNLE.

Aretrospective correlational research design was used to determine the reliability of PNLE. Secondary data analysis of 517 nursing schools' PNLE FTPR results was conducted. Descriptive statistics described trends in PNLE results over 10 years. Spearman correlation was used to determine PNLE reliability.

The PNLE FTPR increased from 2010 to 2019. More than half of Philippine nursing schools have low PNLE performance. Combined annual PNLE results, that is, adding May/June and November/December results, provided a more accurate measure of reliability.

The PNLE is a reliable measurement tool to evaluate nursing program outcomes. Regulatory bodies should use caution in using PNLE results as a criterion in assessing nursing program quality.

PURPOSE: This study aimed at identifying if there is a relevance of content of the Korean Nursing Licensing Examination (KNLE) revised in 2014 to nursing job. It will be able to provide the validity of revised content of the KNLE. METHODS: From October 13 to November 13, 2015, print version of 8 duties with 49-tasks, 155-job item questionnaires were distributed to 1,305 hospital nurses and 202 nursing faculties in Korea. Results were treated by descriptive statistics and comparison analysis. There were responses from 946 nurses or professors (72.5%). RESULTS: The relevance of test content of KNLE to nursing job was shown to be valid with over 3 points out of 4 point Likert scale in all items: from 3.23 at lowest to 3.64 at top. CONCLUSION: Above results showed that the revised version of KNLE in 2014 was valid to test the nursing students' knowledge for job performance.
Faculty, Nursing ; Humans ; Korea ; Licensure* ; Licensure, Nursing ; Nursing* ; Students, Nursing ; Work Performance

The practice of safe and effective nursing care is what a Bachelor of Science in Nursing graduate can provide based on the established competencies of the curriculum. However, they need to be on the list of registered nurses before entry into practice. This study analyzed the academic and licensure examination performances of Bachelor of Science in Nursing graduates in a state college to ascertain relationships and predictors of the licensure examination as the basis for future planning. Descriptive-retrospective design was utilized where 208 graduates who took their licensure examination from 2013 to 2017 were conveniently chosen. Statistical Package for Social Sciences Version 22.0 was used where Pearson product-moment correlation coefficient and Simple Regression Analysis were employed. The academic and nurse licensure performances of graduates were found lower than the ideal and are opposite in terms of skewness and kurtosis. Moreover, a strong positive relationship was noted between the graduates' performances in their academics and licensure examinations. 5 from 21 nursing courses are significant predictors with strong unique contributions to the nurse licensure examination at which 2 from the 5 were found common in all parts of the examination. Thus, it is vital to always look into predictors as basis in the modification of institutional policy on curriculum implementation.
Humans ; Philippines ; Licensure, Nursing ; Academic Performance

Performance in the eight Nurse Licensure Examinations from December 2006 to December 2010 was analyzed to describe how graduates of colleges of nursing nationwide performed in the tests and to determine the factors that correlate with the examinees' scores. The study included all the graduates of colleges of nursing who participated in the eight Nurse Licensure Examinations. Data were collected through a review of secondary data from the Professional Regulation Commission - the passing percentage and average rating of schools, testing centers in the subjects tested and type of examinees. The variables from each NLE were categorized into Examinee variables, Institutional variables, and Program and Other variables. Based on the NLE results, the study concluded that those who took the examination for the first time (first timers) performed better, had higher passing percentage and significantly higher average rating than repeaters in all the NLEs. Among the repeaters, those who took the examination for at most two times showed higher passing percentage and average rating. Examinees from accredited schools also had higher passing percentage and average rating than examinees from non-accredited schools. Those from government-owned schools showed higher passing percentage in all NLEs and significantly higher average ratings in six (6) out of the eight (8) NLEs than examinees from non-government-owned schools. The study found that the accredited and government-owned schools had higher passing percentage and average rating compared to non-accredited and non-government-owned schools. Significant differences were found in the passing percentage and average rating of the examinees across regions and testing centers. Of the five subjects tested, the examinees performed best in Nursing Practice I and III. Their lowest passing percentage and average rating was in Nursing Practice IV. Number of examinees per school appeared not to have affected nor influenced either the passing percentage or average rating of schools in the eight (8) NLEs. The study reveals significant findings that correlate the performance of graduates of Philippine colleges of nursing in the 8 NLEs with selected variables and these findings may provide a better understanding of the issues and problems concerning the performance of examinees in the NLE.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to analyze opinions about the action plan for implementation of clinical performance exam as part of the national nursing licensing examination and presents the expected effects of the performance exam and aspects to consider regarding its implementation. METHODS: This study used a mixed-methods design. Quantitative data were collected by a questionnaire survey, while qualitative data were collected by focus group interviews with experts. The survey targeted 200 nursing professors and clinical nurses with more than 5 years of work experience, and the focus group interviews were conducted with 28 of professors, clinical instructors, and nurses at hospitals. RESULTS: First, nursing professors and clinical specialists agreed that the current written tests have limitations in evaluating examinees' ability, and that the introduction of a clinical performance exam will yield positive results. Clinical performance exam is necessary to evaluate and improve nurses' work ability, which means that the implementation of a performance exam is advisable if its credibility and validity can be verified. Second, most respondents chose direct performance exams using simulators or standardized patients as the most suitable format of the test. CONCLUSION: In conclusion, the current national nursing licensing exam is somewhat limited in its ability to identify competent nurses. Thus, the time has come for us to seriously consider the introduction of a performance exam. The prerequisites for successfully implementing clinical performance exam as part of the national nursing licensing exam are a professional training process and forming a consortium to standardize practical training.
Focus Groups ; Humans ; Korea* ; Licensure* ; Licensure, Nursing ; Nursing* ; Specialization ; Surveys and Questionnaires

PURPOSE: This study aimed at characterizing Korean nurses' occupational responsibilities to apply the results for improvement of the Korean Nursing Licensing Examination. METHODS: First, the contents of nursing job were defined based on a focus group interview of 15 nurses. Developing a Curriculum (DACOM) method was used to examine those results and produce the questionnaire by 13 experts. After that, the questionnaire survey to 5,065 hospital nurses was done. RESULTS: The occupational responsibilities of nurses were characterized as involving 8 duties, 49 tasks, and 303 task elements. Those 8 duties are nursing management and professional development, safety and infection control, the management of potential risk factors, basic nursing and caring, the maintenance of physiological integrity, medication and parenteral treatments, socio-psychological integrity, and the maintenance and improvement of health. CONCLUSION: The content of Korean Nursing Licensing Examination should be improved based on 8 duties and 49 tasks of the occupational responsibilities of Korean nurses.
Curriculum ; Focus Groups ; Infection Control ; Job Description ; Korea ; Licensure* ; Licensure, Nursing ; Methods ; Nursing* ; Risk Factors

PURPOSE: This study is a descriptive study to investigate the relevance between pathophysiological subject and examination workbook items for national nurse licensure examination in South Korea and the United States. METHODS: Eight registered nurse licensure examination workbooks published by the Korean nurses association were used for the analysis. Saunders comprehensive review for the national council licensure examination (NCLEX-RN) was used for analysis of those in the United States. The relevance between the subjects in the standard syllabuses of pathophysiology and the registered nurse licensure exam items of these workbooks in South Korea and the United States respectively was analyzed. RESULTS: The Relevance rates in South Korea and the United States were : fundamentals of nursing 6.34% vs 32.12%, adult nursing 25.5% vs 25.92% child health nursing 7.81% vs 21.7%, woman health nursing 5.1% vs 17.07% psychiatric mental health nursing 2.7% vs 7.32%, and community health nursing 0.9% vs 0%. CONCLUSION: the relevance in pathophysiology between the registered nurse licensure exam in South Korea and the United States was high in adult nursing and fundamentals of nursing (especially in the United States). In developing integrated registered nurse licensure exam questions, we should consider pathophysiology as an important subject.
Adult ; Child Health ; Community Health Nursing ; Female ; Humans ; Korea* ; Licensure* ; Nurses ; Nursing ; Psychiatric Nursing ; United States*

OBJECTIVE: The purposes of this study were to analyze the current status of nursing informatics course and to develop the standardized curriculum in nursing informatics course based on competency. METHODS: Data were collected through two phases. In the first phase, a survey was conducted on 115 nursing institutions to analyze the current status of nursing informatics course. In the second phase, two-round delphi technique was developed to determine the priority and relative weight of contents in nursing informatics course. Final samples composed of both 43 nursing institutions and 11 nursing informatics experts. RESULTS: Out of 43 nursing schools, 13 nursing schools offered nursing informatics course. Nursing informatics was taught mostly to the second year and had 2 credits. About 54% of respondents disagreed that nursing informatics should be included in the license examination for Registered Nurse. The subject matrix by priority and relative weight and a standardized curriculum for nursing informatics were developed. CONCLUSION: Continuous application and revision of nursing informatics curriculum should be needed.
Competency-Based Education ; Curriculum* ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Delphi Technique ; Licensure ; Nursing Informatics* ; Nursing* ; Schools, Nursing

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to investigate the plan to introduce a practical skills test as part of the national examination for nursing licensure. METHOD: The delphi method was used. The first set of data was collected by open questionnaire from universities and hospitals nationally. The second and third were collected by structured questionnaire. RESULTS: The biggest problem for clinical practice in nursing education was reported as the lack of opportunities for direct nursing practice. The biggest performance problem in job duties for novice nurses was reported as the lack of integrated problem solving skills in a clinical situation. The biggest problem with the current national examination was reported as the use memorizing solutions to test questions. It was suggested that the best plan to resolve problems with the national examination would be to develop test questions representative of the clinical setting and increase personnel in clinical education. About the introduction of a practical skills test as part of the national examination, 56.9% were in agreement and 38.5% disagreed. CONCLUSION: The current national examination has many problems when it comes to testing clinical competency. So, a practical skills test must be deferred to a future time. There are also many difficulties in presenting a real situation, therefore further research is needed in preparation for the introduction of a practical skills test.
Clinical Competence ; Delphi Technique* ; Education ; Education, Nursing ; Licensure, Nursing* ; Nursing* ; Problem Solving ; Surveys and Questionnaires