Examination of the Relationship Between Clinical Hours and NCLEX Success.

Abstract

Clinical education provides important learning opportunities for students. Finding clinical sites and faculty can be a challenge. Exploring the relationship between the number of clinical practice hours and NCLEX-RN success may be helpful for curriculum development and revision. The purpose of this study was to provide descriptive information about clinical education in RN programs and determine if a relationship existed between the number of clinical hours and NCLEX-RN pass rate. A descriptive research design using a survey was sent to over 1000 accredited nursing programs in the United States. One hundred and fourteen surveys were completed. When comparing 2021 NCLEX-RN pass rates with clinical hours, there was a statistically significant difference at the 500 clinical hour interval. Nursing programs can ensure fiduciary responsibility while supporting clinical judgment development and licensure success by reviewing their curriculum and reconsidering the number of clinical hours in their programs.