What You Should Know:
– Elsevier Health, a global leader in medical information and data analytics, today launched HESI Clinical Practice Readiness Assessment (CPRA), the first standardized, objective, and reliable assessment for faculty to assess nursing students’ clinical judgment and practice readiness.
– The Next Generation National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX®) brings nursing students’ clinical judgment to the forefront and has increased the focus on clinical preparedness, an area that studies continually cite as a weakness with new nurses.
Elsevier CPRA: A Reliable Assessment for Nursing Practice Readiness
As the percentage of practice-ready nursing students has declined from 23% to 9%[1], educators require a reliable method to assess whether graduates possess the necessary knowledge and skills to provide safe and independent patient care.
Comprehensive Practice Readiness Assessment
Elsevier’s Clinical Practice Readiness Assessment (CPRA) enables nursing students to demonstrate critical thinking and decision-making skills through high-fidelity, screen-based simulations. Featuring Next Generation NCLEX®-style questions and aligned with the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) Essentials competency framework, CPRA provides instructors with insights into students’ clinical competencies. As a cumulative end-of-program evaluation, CPRA builds on Elsevier’s trusted resources in clinical judgment development. When used alongside the HESI Exit Exam, CPRA offers programs a valid and reliable method to assess students’ preparedness for both NCLEX success and clinical practice.
A Standardized, Reliable Solution for Measuring Clinical Competency
According to Brent Gordon, President of Nursing & Health Education at Elsevier, “Nursing programs that have struggled to measure practice readiness vs. test readiness due to resource constraints and the limitations of currently available assessment frameworks and tools now have a standard, reliable assessment solution with which to measure their students’ clinical competencies. CPRA is essential for nursing student education as an end-of-program assessment.”
Key Features of CPRA
· Performance Reporting: Assigns students an overall practice readiness mastery level (emerging, developing, proficient, or advanced) and evaluates performance across five key constructs, identifying strengths, weaknesses, trends, and curriculum gaps.
· High-Fidelity, Screen-Based Simulations: Immersive assessments with secure questions allow students to demonstrate practice readiness by managing virtual patients across the lifespan.
· Digital Standardized Patients™: Scenarios feature diverse patient profiles varying in age, race, socioeconomic status, gender identity, and sexual orientation, covering a broad range of medical conditions to support competency demonstration.
· Natural Language Conversation Engine: Enables students to interact with simulated patients using their own words to gather subjective data and provide therapeutic communication.
A Consistent and Comprehensive Evaluation Framework
CPRA’s standardized assessment evaluates students’ practice readiness through scenarios mapped to five key constructs: assessment, communication, education, safety, and clinical judgment. By collaborating with healthcare educators, Elsevier Health ensures students are prepared for successful careers in medicine, nursing, and health professions through trusted content, innovative learning tools, and advanced analytics that enhance educational outcomes and clinical practice readiness.
