Circle April 1 on your calendar. No, it’s not because someone is planning to put a “Kick Me” sign on the back of your scrubs. And no, it’s not because fake, plastic snakes might jump out of a can of peanuts when you get home. This year, on April Fool’s Day, the National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN) isn’t joking. That day, a new passing standard for the NCLEX-RN® will take effect.

The new standard, -0.2100 logits on the NCLEX-RN® logistic scale, is 0.070 logits higher than the previous standard of -0.2800. What’s a logit? Basically, it’s the unit of measurement used for the exam. There’s a much longer (and mathematically-worded) definition on the NCSBN Web site (click here) in case you’re interested. In simpler terms, it all means that in a meeting held last month, the NCSBN Board of Directors decided that being a safe and effective entry-level RN requires a greater level of knowledge, skills, and abilities than was required in 2004. Since 1989, the process has been reviewed every three years to help keep exam content current with practice.

Over the past three years, changes in nursing practice in the United States have resulted in greater acuity of patients seen by entry-level RNs. To come to that conclusion, the Board uses several different sources and avenues including:

• An expert panel of 11 nurses who performed a criterion-referenced standard setting procedure
• Results from a national survey that included nursing educators, directors of nursing, and administrators

The standard change will take effect along with the 2007 NCLEX-RN Test Plan, which provides a quick-hitting summary of what topics are going to be covered on the exam. The content of the exam is organized into four main client needs, or sections:

• Safe and effective care environment
• Health promotion and maintenance
• Psychosocial integrity
• Physiological integrity

Source: NCBSN.org