JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

DNP (Doctor of Nursing Practice) programs in the United States confer the highest practice degree in nursing. The proportion of racial/ethnic minority DNP students including those of Asian descent keeps increasing in the United States. Statistics is commonly required for Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) programs. However, there is insufficient evidence regarding the number of years within which statistics should be taken and the minimum grade required for admission to the program.

Objective:

The study aimed to examine the associations of statistics prerequisite durations and grades for admission with the course performances within the DNP program. We also explored whether a post-admission statistics overview course can prepare students for a DNP statistics course as well as a required statistics prerequisite course.

Methods:

A retrospective cohort study was conducted with a sample of 31 DNP students at a large university in the Mid-Atlantic region. Statistical analysis of data collected over five years, between 2018 and 2022, was performed to examine the associations, utilizing Spearman’s rank correlation analysis and Mann-Whitney U test.

Results:

Students’ performance in a DNP statistics course was not associated with prerequisite duration: no significant association between the duration and the DNP statistics course letter grades (ρ = .12, p = .663), Exam 1 (ρ = .03, p = .910) nor Exam 2 scores (ρ = -.01, p = .973). Prerequisite grades were positively associated with Exam 1 grades (ρ = .59, p = .016), but not Exam 2 (ρ = .35, p = .189) or course grades (ρ = .40, p = .124). Additionally, no difference was found in students’ performance whether meeting the prerequisite requirements or taking a one-month, self-paced overview course (Exam 1: U = 159.0, p = .129; Exam 2: U = 102.0, p = .495; course letter grade: U = 117.0, p = .922).

Conclusions:

No evidence was found to support the need for limits on when prerequisites are completed or grade requirements. Opting for a statistics overview course post-admission can serve as a viable alternative to the statistics prerequisite, effectively preparing students for advanced quantitative data analysis in a DNP program.