The effect of integrating a nursing licensure examination preparation course into a nursing program curriculum: A quasi-experimental study

Abstract

Background: Nursing licensure examinations (NLEs) are used worldwide to determine nursing students' levels of competence and preparedness to practice nursing. However, despite students' knowledge of nursing concepts, some students struggle with anxiety, pressure, and NLE question style. Preparation courses embedded within nursing students' curriculum may be effective in preparing students to take the NLE. Aim: The aim is to determine the effectiveness of implementing a Saudi Nursing Licensure Examination (SNLE) preparation course into nursing students' curriculum. Setting and Design: A quasi-experimental, repeated measures design was used with 109 undergraduate nursing students in three-branch college of nursing in the western region of Saudi Arabia. Methods: Students completed a 3-month SNLE preparation course integrated into the current curriculum. The course involved practice question preparation, case studies, and online learning videos. Students took an SNLE-style pretest before the course and a posttest one month after the course was completed. Results: Most students were female (70.6%) and 34.9% reported studying 1–2 h per week studying for the course. There was a significant, positive, and strong correlation between the number of hours spent studying and SNLE posttest scores (r = 0.729, n = 109, P < 0.001). Students performed significantly better after taking the SNLE preparation course. Female students scored higher in all domains compared to male students, especially within the maternity and pediatric nursing domain. Conclusions: An NLE preparation course integrated into the nursing curriculum was shown to be effective within this sample of Saudi nursing students. Further research with larger samples may be needed to corroborate these findings.