HESI Standardized Nursing Exam Remediation : A Program Evaluation Project

Abstract

The UW-Eau Claire (UWEC) nursing program, like many nursing programs, utilizes standardized exams to prepare nursing students for the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX). The NCLEX is a licensing exam students must pass after graduation to become a registered nurse. A variety of exam companies are available. The UWEC Nursing Program elected to use Health Education Systems Incorporated (HESI). The HESI testing program in the UWEC nursing department was modified and expanded in Spring of 2020. Several specialty exams and the exit exam are administered as students’ progress through the program. Remediation and retesting are required when students score under the faculty-established benchmark of 850 on specialty exams. Remediation involves completion of online HESI modules tailored to students’ exam results. The purpose of this project was to conduct a remediation-focused evaluation of the HESI standardized exam program in the UWEC Nursing Department.