Academic success: Which factors contribute signify- cantly to NCLEX-RN success for ASDN students?

Background: Accelerated Second Degree Nursing (ASDN) programs have become a vital means of addressing the nursing shortage resulting in a sharp increase in the number of these programs. In 2009, there were 230 accelerated programs and 33 in formal planning stages. Yet there has been little research to understand the predictive value of key components of these nursing programs for academic achievement as demonstrated by NCLEX-RN success. The purpose of this study was to determine the most significant factors and predictive value of these factors as they relate to student success on NCLEX-RN in an ASDN program. Methods: A retrospective predictive correlational design was employed to examine relationships between performance in pre-nursing and nursing courses as well as standardized tests for 363 ASDN students and NCLEX-RN success. A significance level of 0.05 was maintained for the analyses in this study. Results: The research results showed a high correlation with the first Medical/Surgical course as well as the pre-nursing course, Pathophysiology and offers new insight that is important in early identification of ASDN students who may or may not be successful on NCLEX-RN. More importantly, it sheds light on the factors, such as specific nursing courses, that best prepare ASDN students for RN-NCLEX success. Conclusion: The research results offer new insight that is important in early identification of ASDN students who may not be successful on NCLEX-RN. More importantly, it sheds light on the factors, such as specific nursing courses, that best prepare ASDN students for NCLEX-RN success.