Standardized Nursing Examination Remediation: A Program Evaluation

Abstract

Background: Nurse educators at a public university expanded their standardized examination program in Spring 2020 to include more specialty examinations, required remediation, and retesting for students who did not attain benchmark scores. This study conducted a remediation-focused program evaluation. Method: A mixed-methods design was used. Aggregated deidentified Health Education Systems, Inc. (HESI) specialty examination scores ( n = 907) were analyzed. Feedback from nursing students and recent alumni ( n = 70) was collected using a Qualtrics survey. Results: For students scoring under benchmark, higher remediation time requirements led to greater increases in second-attempt specialty examination scores. More alumni than current students reported remediation was helpful ( p = .029). Participants' perspectives regarding remediation barriers, helpful strategies, and motivating policies were identified. Five themes emerged from open-ended survey comments, adding depth to the quantitative findings. Conclusion: Recommendations for standardized examination remediation strategies and policies are offered. [ J Nurs Educ . 2023;62(9):519–522.]