Report of Findings from the 2018 LPN/VN Nursing Knowledge Survey
Report of Findings from the 2018 LPN/VN Nursing Knowledge Survey | Report of Findings
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2018 LPN/VN Nursing Knowledge Survey
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The National Council of State Boards of Nursing
(NCSBN®) is responsible to its members, the boards of nursing in the U.S. and its member board territo- ries, for the preparation of psychometrically sound and legally defensible licensure examinations (Amer- ican Educational Research Association, American Psychological Association and National Council on Measurement in Education, 2014). Practice analysis (i.e., job analysis) studies assist NCSBN in evaluating the validity of the test plan that guides content dis- tribution of the licensure examinations. Because the U.S. health care industry is rapidly changing, NCSBN conducts practice analysis studies every three years.
The primary purpose of this study is to identify the knowledge needed by newly licensed LPN/VNs. The results of this study will be used to inform item development.
Methodology
A number of steps are necessary to perform an analysis of the knowledge needed by newly licensed LPN/VNs. This section provides a description of the methodology used to conduct the 2018 LPN/VN Nursing Knowledge Survey. A panel of subject matter experts (SMEs) was assembled; a list of knowledge statements was created and incorporated into a survey that was sent to a representative sample of Newly Licensed LPN/VNs, LPN/VN Educators, and LPN/VN Supervisors; and the data was collected and analyzed. Descriptions of the SME panel processes, survey development, and sample selection and data collection procedures are provided; as well as information about the confidentiality, response rates, and the degree to which participants were representative of the sample of Newly Licensed LPN/ VNs, LPN/VN Educators, and LPN/VN Supervisors. This report provides detailed descriptions of these processes.
Methodology Reviewers
Three methodology reviewers, chosen for their expertise in practice/job analysis and certification exam development, reviewed the methodology and procedures utilized in this study. All three reviewers indicated this methodology was psychometrically
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
sound, legally defensible and in compliance with professional testing standards.
Panel of Subject Matter Experts (SMEs)
A panel of seven SMEs was assembled to assist with the creation of the knowledge statements and survey. Panel members taught LPN/VN students or supervised LPN/VNs who were within their first twelve months of practice; one panel member was a newly licensed LPN/VN. The panelists also repre- sented various NCSBN geographic areas of the U.S., as well as the major nursing specialties and varied practice settings.
Survey Development
A number of processes were used to create, evalu- ate, and refine the survey instrument used for the 2018 LPN/VN Nursing Knowledge Survey. The initial meetings for the triennial practice analysis preceded the development of the 2018 LPN/VN Nursing Knowl- edge Survey. For the practice analysis, an initial panel of nurses (SMEs), representing various geographic regions of the U.S., nursing specialties and practice settings, developed nursing activity statements intended to represent entry-level LPN/VN practice. These activity statements and related categories pro- vided a structure for the creation of the knowledge statements. Following the work of the first panel, a second group of SMEs was convened with one pan- elist bridging the two groups.
This second panel reviewed the activity statements and then developed knowledge statements for each activity statement. The knowledge statements are intended to provide detailed information regarding the knowledge needed by newly licensed LPN/VNs in order to perform nursing activities. The resulting 282 knowledge statements were incorporated into a survey format.
The final version of the survey contained several ini- tial questions to identify responder characteristics, followed by four sections. The first section focused on the knowledge necessary for entry-level LPN/VN practice, asking responders to rate the importance of each knowledge statement by using a five-point (1-5) scale. The second section identified the partici- pant’s work environment including area of practice,
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
type of client and employment setting/specialty. The third section focused on demographic information such as race/ethnicity, highest obtained education degree, and gender. The final section provided space for responders to write comments or suggestions about the survey.
Survey Process Sample Selection
Newly Licensed LPN/VNs: A random sample of 2,150 LPN/VNs was selected from a list of candidates who passed the NCLEX-PN® examination between April 15, 2017 and March 15, 2018 and did not participate in the LPN/VN Practice Analysis Survey. Only those with a U.S. mailing address within the jurisdiction in which they were seeking licensure were included in the sample in order to minimize the number of incorrect recipient addresses.
Educators of LPN/VNs (LPN/VN Educators): In addition, surveys were sent to 2,100 LPN/VN Edu- cators at 700 different nursing programs using the following methodology. Three surveys were sent to each dean/director of 700 nursing programs, with instructions for them to distribute one survey to (1) a Medical/Surgical Nursing instructor; (2) an Obstet- rics-Gynecology/Pediatric or Maternal Child Nursing instructor; and (3) a Psychiatric (Mental Health) or Community Health Nursing instructor. Each of the programs in the sample had a minimum of nine NCLEX candidates in the 2017 calendar year. In the event that there were faculty members unable to complete the survey, the dean/directors were asked to give the survey to additional Medical/Surgical fac- ulty members.
Supervisors of Newly Licensed LPN/VNs (LPN/VN Supervisors): Finally, 2,100 employers (700 in nursing homes; 700 in hospitals; and 700 in home health agencies) of newly licensed LPN/ VNs were surveyed. The selection of employers to be included in the survey was also based upon the number of LPN/VNs employed (at least nine LPN/ VN employees). This criterion was applied in order to maximize the likelihood that the employer would have newly licensed LPN/VNs and supervisors of newly licensed LPN/VNs. Surveys were mailed to the directors of nursing (DONs) or equivalent, who
were asked to complete the survey if they directly supervised newly licensed LPN/VNs. If they did not supervise newly licensed LPN/VNs, the DONs were asked to give the survey to a nurse who did.
Representativeness
Since multiple surveys were sent to LPN/VN Educa- tors of the same institution, all responders from an institution were counted as one in the representa- tiveness calculation. The percentage of responders from the various NCSBN jurisdictions is similar to the sample composition.
Mailing Procedure
The survey forms were mailed to a total of 6,350 potential responders: 2,150 Newly Licensed LPN/ VNs, 2,100 LPN/VN Educators and 2,100 potential supervisors of newly licensed LPN/VNs. To acquire the LPN/VN Educator responders, three surveys were sent to the dean/director of the program to distribute amongst their staff. It was requested that a survey be distributed to an educator in each of the following general areas: (1) Medical/Surgical Nursing; (2) Obstetrics-Gynecology/Pediatric or Maternal Child Nursing; and (3) Psychiatric (Mental Health) or Community Health Nursing. If the school did not have specialty faculty who could complete the survey, it was asked that additional faculty in the clinical setting who teach Medical/Surgical Nursing participate.
A five-stage mailing process was used to engage the participants in the study. A pre-survey letter was mailed to each person or facility, followed by the survey(s), with a cover letter and a postage-paid return envelope, one week later. A series of three reminder postcards were sent to nonresponders reiterating the importance of the study and urging participation. The survey was conducted from April through June 2018.
Confidentiality
All potential participants were promised confidential- ity with regard to their participation and responses. Pre-assigned code numbers were used to facilitate follow-up mailings. Files containing mailing informa- tion were kept separate from the data files. The study protocol was approved by NCSBN’s Chief Executive
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Officer for compliance with organizational guidelines used in research studies involving human subjects. [Show Less]