Abstract

The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to explore the lived experiences of nursing graduates concerning their preparation for the National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses (NCLEX-RN) after failing on the first attempt, and their perceptions concerning the meaningfulness and essence of the experience. The results of interviews with 13 nursing graduates provided an empirical understanding of the lived experiences of their preparation for the NCLEX on their first unsuccessful attempt as well as how they changed their strategies in preparation for their second attempt. Findings included nursing graduates’ employment of available resources (e.g., textbooks, online sources), addressing test anxiety, and making test preparation a priority. School administrators may use the findings of this study to implement successful preparation guidelines in nursing programs. Additionally, student nurses can use these findings to improve their preparation for the NCLEX-RN. Recommendations for future research include conducting a similar study using quantitative or mixed methods approaches, possibly with a larger sample of participants for greater generalizability.

Details

Title
An exploration of first-time NCLEX takers' lived experience of preparing to attempt the national council licensure exam
Author
Horton, Linda L.
Year
2015
Publisher
ProQuest Dissertations & Theses
ISBN
978-1-321-79872-2
Source type
Dissertation or Thesis
Language of publication
English
ProQuest document ID
1694580014
Copyright
Database copyright ProQuest LLC; ProQuest does not claim copyright in the individual underlying works.