Introduction
Since 2002, there has been dramatic growth in the number of registered nurse (RN)
graduates from nursing programs in all types of institutional settings, with the largest
increases in the for-profit sector.
Aim
To document trends in the growth of nursing programs and to compare their outcomes,
as measured in first-time NCLEX® pass rates, by ownership type and degree, including
bachelor of science in nursing, associate degree in nursing, and practical nurse.
Methods
We used 10 years of data (2007-2016) from the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data
System (IPEDS) to track the number of programs and graduates by ownership type. We
obtained 5 years of data (2011-2015) from state boards of nursing on first-time NCLEX
pass rates by degree. We constructed a multivariate regression model with pass rates
as the dependent variable and school ownership status as the independent variable.
Covariates included a broad range of institution-level covariates obtained from IPEDS
and county-level data on poverty obtained from the Area Health Resource File.
Results
From 2007-2016, there was a five-fold increase in the total number of for-profit nursing
programs and a 14-fold increase in the number of graduates of for-profit nursing programs.
Graduates of public nursing programs declined as a percentage of total graduates,
whereas for-profit programs’ share grew from 1.7% to 14.2 %. After controlling for
demographic and socioeconomic factors, for-profit ownership was a significant predictor
of lower NCLEX pass rates for all three degree programs.
Conclusions
Additional research is needed to understand why ownership status affects performance,
but it is incumbent upon nursing leaders to review federal, state, and accreditation
oversight to ensure minimum performance standards for all nursing programs.
Keywords
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Biography
Patricia Pittman, PhD, is a Professor, Department of Health Policy and Management, Milken Institute School of Public Health, George Washington University, Washington, D.C.
Biography
Emily Bass, BA, is a Research Associate, Department of Health Policy and Management, Milken Institute School of Public Health, George Washington University.
Biography
Xinxin Han, MS, is a Research Assistant, Department of Health Policy and Management, Milken Institute School of Public Health, George Washington University.
Biography
Ellen Kurtzman, PhD, is an Associate Professor, School of Nursing, George Washington University.
Article info
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Copyright
© 2019 National Council of State Boards of Nursing. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
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