The Forgotten: The Challenges Faced by Francophone Nursing Candidates following the Introduction of the NCLEX-RN in Canada

Strategies Used in Canadian Nursing Programs to Prepare Students for NCLEX-RN® Licensure Exam

Nursing educators need strategies for preparing students to be successful in the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX-RN^®). Understanding the educational practices used is an important step in informing curricular decisions and helping regulatory agencies evaluate nursing programs' efforts to prepare students for practice. This study described strategies used in Canadian nursing programs to prepare students for the NCLEX-RN^®. A cross-sectional descriptive national survey was completed by the program's director, chair, dean, or another faculty member involved in the program's NCLEX-RN^® preparatory strategies using the LimeSurvey platform. Most participating programs (n = 24; 85.7%) use one to three strategies to prepare students for the NCLEX-RN^®. Strategies include the requirement to purchase a commercial product, the administration of computer-based exams, NCLEX-RN^® preparation courses or workshops, and time dedicated to NCLEX-RN^® preparation in one or more courses. There is variation among Canadian nursing programs in how students are prepared for the NCLEX-RN^®. Some programs invest considerable effort in preparation activities, while others have limited ones.

NCLEX-RN© preparation resources available online in French: An integrative review

AIM

This review describes the availability of online French NCLEX-RN^© preparation resources for candidates BACKGROUND: One entry to practice requirement for Canadian nurses is to successfully pass a licensing exam upon graduation from their educational program. In 2015, the American NCLEX-RN^© replaced the Canadian entry to practice licensing examination which was offered in Canada's two official languages: English and French. The NCLEX-RN^© was developed in English and later translated to French. Since its implementation, Francophone candidates and educators in Canada have reported a lack of preparatory resources available in their language and have had substantial lower NCLEX-RN^© pass rates, consistently below 50% METHODS: An integrative review using Whittemore and Knafl's framework was conducted between February and May 2019, and updated in September 2020, through online searches of CINAHL, PubMed, Science Direct and Google Scholar databases. Grey literature was included from 2012 onwards. Results are presented narratively.

RESULTS

A total of 17 French language preparatory resources were found. These resources were categorised into four main groups: (1) What is the NCLEX-RN^© ?; (2) What do I need to do prior to writing the NCLEX-RN^© ?; (3) What is assessed through the NCLEX-RN^© ? and finally, (4) How can I practice before taking the NCLEX-RN^© ?

CONCLUSION

Limited French-language NCLEX-RN^© preparatory resources exist for Francophone candidates. Furthermore, practice questions in French are few compared to what is available in English IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING AND NURSING POLICY: Other countries may consider implementing an entry to practice exam such as the NCLEX-RN^© because of its availability in both the French and English language, as well as the possibility of translating the exam to other languages, creating a potential market for this test around the globe. The lack of preparatory resources in French is a major concern to Francophone candidates undertaking such a high-stakes examination in their language. Nursing stakeholders and policy leaders should acknowledge that such gaps place Francophone writers in a disadvantaged position in comparison to their Anglophone counterparts.