Years as RN, Specific RN experience, Hours worked while in the NP program Do any of these matter for NP student success?

There is an ongoing debate about what characteristics of Nurse Practitioner students contribute to their success in NP coursework and the program as a whole.

Among the questions in this debate are:

• Is there a difference in academic performance of NP graduate students as measured by course numerical or letter course grade between newly graduated nurses and those with work experience as RNs?
• Does number of years of experience as a RN impact success?
• Is there a specific type of prior RN work experience which has a positive impact on success of NP graduate students?
• Is there a specific type of prior RN experience which has a negative impact on success of NP graduate students?
• Does the number of work hours of the student engaged in NP graduate study impact success?
• For students who work while engaged in graduate study is there a difference between those who work below and above 20 hours a week?

This session will present data on outcomes of multiple cohorts of students taking their first NP clinical course, Primary Care Adult 1, between Fall of 2008 and Spring of 2014.  Student reported work hours at the start of the course, number of years of practice as a RN at that point, and the focus of their clinical practice. This data was analyzed in relation to the students numerical (when available) and letter course grade. For students whose plans of study called for them to graduate by Fall of 2014, these factors were examined to identify if any are predictors of successful completion of the program of study on time.

Results of the full analysis of the data and answers to the six questions above will be presented.