Background: Roseman University of Health Sciences (RUHS) developed and delivers a mastery learning curriculum\ndesigned for students to acquire the knowledge and skills to become competent nurses. Despite a trend in nursing\neducation to adopt competency-based education (CBE) models, there is little in the nursing literature about\nprograms based on a mastery model. The aim of this study is to describe an undergraduate nursing program built\non a mastery learning model and to report on program outcome measures.\nMethods: The 18-month BSN nursing program is divided into blocks, varying in length and focusing on a single\nsubject. Students must demonstrate mastery, defined as Greater than equal to 90% on an assessment, to pass a block. Recognizing the\ncritical nature of health care, educators seek methods to assure that practitioners become competent to perform\nthe services they provide.\nProgram outcomes reported include comparisons to national standards and RUHS student exit survey data.\nResults: From 2013 to 2017 the RUHS College of Nursing studentsâ?? pass rates ranged from 82 to 97% for the\nNational Council Licensure Examination exam compared to national pass rates between 81.8â??84.5% during the\nsame time frame. The program completion rate ranged from 86 to 100% and employment rates exceeded\naccreditation standards. Students reported overall satisfaction with their education as 4.38 and with the block\nsystem as 4.74 (5 point Likert scale).\nConclusions: Roseman Universityâ??s mastery learning model appears successful as measured by high levels of\nstudent satisfaction, outcomes on exams, and degree completion when compared to national averages. The results\nsuggest that other nursing and health professionâ??s programs can develop a successful mastery based learning model.
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