The National Council of State Boards of Nursing, NCSBN research states pass rates among students studying outside the United States and US educated students taking the NCLEX RN are both on the rise from 2000.
In 2000 there were a total of 71,475 US educated students and 7,506 internationally educated students taking the NCLEX RN. International students made up only 10.5% of the students sitting for the exam.
The demands for nurses is outpacing the number of nurses who are entering nursing schools. Aging Baby Boomers, population explosion, and increased number of nurses used in place of doctors is causing a serious demand for nurses.
The demand for nurses in the United States is being answered by students in abroad. Many United States Citizens are arguing that there are citizens with education and experience to fill the positions in the computer science field and issuing more work visas will only increase unemployment in the US. Will nurses in the United States be competing for jobs in the United States with students educated abroad? Last year there were 119,579 United States educated students and 33,768 internationally educated students sitting for the NCLEX RN test. More than 28% of all nursing students taking this exam.
The dramatic increase is quite possibly the result of the National Council of State Boards of Nursing opening three exam centers abroad. In just seven years the percentage of international students has risen 17.5%
Students educated outside the United States are alert to the demand for nurses in North America and know that educating themselves may be their opportunity to obtain a work visa and possible citizenship in the United States and may garner them a life of a greater quality of living and freedom from oppression.
How well are United States educated students performing compared to their internationally educated counterparts? are still out performing international students, but international students are gaining on them.In 2007, there were 119,579 United States educated nursing students taking the NCLEX RN. 85.5% of them passed. Only 52% of the 33,768 students educated outside the United States nursing students passed the first time.
How about those students who had to repeat the test? In 2007 26,411 students sat for the exam for at least the second time. These were United States educated students retaking the exam. Anyone can download the audios regardless of the country of origin.
Students from around the world listen to the audios to prepare for the nursing classes, reinforce what they are learning and prepare for the exams., but a few students have thought ahead and use it to become familiar with the class material prior to starting the class.
Students around the world find it difficult to make time to study. Audio study materials for the NCLEX exam make it easy to learn while doing other tasks.
- Carolyn Thompson