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.

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

PURPOSE: The role of registered nurses is expanding in scope as the healthcare paradigm shifts from acute, hospital-based care to community and population-based care. Given this paradigm shift, this study explores the legal aspects of the role of a registered nurse.METHODS: We used document analysis for extracting laws and legal orders related to nursing from the entirety of Korean law. Using textualism approach, we examined the contents utilizing a framework that was developed based on the role classification of community nurses by Clark in this study.RESULTS: A total of 119 items related to nursing were derived from 64 laws. Of these, 71.4 % can be performed by people in multiple types of occupations including nurses. As a result of analyzing required qualifications, 45.4% of 119 items required additional qualifications besides registered nurse license. Analysis of workplace and activity type demonstrated that 26.1% of the 119 items were related to medical institutions, with nurses performing mostly “Client-oriented role.” More than half (68.9%) were non-medical institutions, with nurses performing mostly “Delivery-oriented role.” Some, however, did not stipulate the nurse's roles clearly.CONCLUSION: Therefore, to match the enhanced scope and responsibilities of registered nurses and to appropriately recognize, guide, and hold these nurses accountable, laws and policy must reflect these changes. In doing so, these updated laws and policies will ultimately serve as a basis for improving the quality and safety of nursing services.
Classification ; Delivery of Health Care ; Humans ; Jurisprudence ; Legislation, Nursing ; Licensure ; Nurse's Role ; Nurses ; Nursing ; Nursing Services ; Occupations ; Republic of Korea

PURPOSE: This is a descriptive study to investigate the relevance between biological nursing science subjects (structure and function of the human body (SFHB), mechanism and effects of drugs (MED), clinical microbiology) and examination workbook items for Registered Nurse Licensure Examination (RNLE) in Republic of Korea (ROK) and the United States of America (USA). METHODS: RNLE 8 workbooks which were published by the Korean Nurses Association were utilized for analysis of Korean RNLE. Saunders comprehensive review for the NCLEX-RN® examination was used for analysis of US RNLE. The relevance between items in the standard syllabuses of biological nursing science subjects (SFHB, MED, clinical microbiology) and the RNLE items of these workbooks in ROK and the USA was analyzed. RESULTS: The relevance rates of ROK and the USA were 3.6% vs 0.4% in SFHB, 8.9% vs 23.0% in MED, and 4.5% vs 5.8% in clinical microbiology. CONCLUSION: In SFHB, the relevance of the RNLE in ROK was higher than that of the USA. However in MED the relevance of the RNLE in USA was higher than that of the ROK. Since medications are one of major tasks of nurses, it is necessary to increase the number of related items in the RNLE in ROK.
Americas ; Human Body ; Humans ; Licensure ; Nurses ; Nursing ; Republic of Korea ; United States

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*

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: The purpose of this study was to improve the quality of items on the Korean Nursing Licensing Examination by developing and evaluating case-based items that reflect integrated nursing knowledge. METHODS: We conducted a cross-sectional observational study to develop new case-based items. The methods for developing test items included expert workshops, brainstorming, and verification of content validity. After a mock examination of undergraduate nursing students using the newly developed case-based items, we evaluated the appropriateness of the items through classical test theory and item response theory. RESULTS: A total of 50 case-based items were developed for the mock examination, and content validity was evaluated. The question items integrated 34 discrete elements of integrated nursing knowledge. The mock examination was taken by 741 baccalaureate students in their fourth year of study at 13 universities. Their average score on the mock examination was 57.4, and the examination showed a reliability of 0.40. According to classical test theory, the average level of item difficulty of the items was 57.4% (80%–100% for 12 items; 60%–80% for 13 items; and less than 60% for 25 items). The mean discrimination index was 0.19, and was above 0.30 for 11 items and 0.20 to 0.29 for 15 items. According to item response theory, the item discrimination parameter (in the logistic model) was none for 10 items (0.00), very low for 20 items (0.01 to 0.34), low for 12 items (0.35 to 0.64), moderate for 6 items (0.65 to 1.34), high for 1 item (1.35 to 1.69), and very high for 1 item (above 1.70). The item difficulty was very easy for 24 items (below −2.0), easy for 8 items (−2.0 to −0.5), medium for 6 items (−0.5 to 0.5), hard for 3 items (0.5 to 2.0), and very hard for 9 items (2.0 or above). The goodness-of-fit test in terms of the 2-parameter item response model between the range of 2.0 to 0.5 revealed that 12 items had an ideal correct answer rate. CONCLUSION: We surmised that the low reliability of the mock examination was influenced by the timing of the test for the examinees and the inappropriate difficulty of the items. Our study suggested a methodology for the development of future case-based items for the Korean Nursing Licensing Examination.
Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; Discrimination (Psychology) ; Education ; Humans ; Licensure* ; Nursing* ; Observational Study ; Students, Nursing

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 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

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*