TY  - JOUR
AU  - Byon, Ha Do
AU  - Park, Sunbok
AU  - Quatrara, Beth A
AU  - Taggart, Jessica
AU  - Wheeler, Lindsay Buford
PY  - 2024
DA  - 2024/9/9
TI  - Examining the Evidence on the Statistics Prerequisite for Admission to Doctor of Nursing Practice Programs: Retrospective Cohort Study
JO  - Asian Pac Isl Nurs J
SP  - e57187
VL  - 8
KW  - Doctor of Nursing Practice
KW  - admission prerequisite
KW  - statistics requirement
KW  - biostatistics
KW  - nursing education
AB  - Background: Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) programs in the United States confer the highest practice degree in nursing. The proportion of racial and ethnic minority DNP students, including those of Asian descent, keeps increasing in the United States. Statistics is commonly required for 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: This 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 postadmission 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 5 years, between 2018 and 2022, was performed to examine the associations, using Spearman rank correlation analysis and Mann-Whitney U test (U). Results: The performance of students in a DNP statistics course was not associated with prerequisite duration. There was no significant association between the duration and the DNP statistics course letter grades (ρ=0.12; P=.66), neither with exam 1 (ρ=0.03; P=.91) nor with exam 2 scores (ρ=0.01; P=.97). Prerequisite grades were positively associated with exam 1 grades (ρ=0.59; P=.02), but not exam 2 (ρ=0.35; P=.19) or course grades (ρ=0.40; P=.12). In addition, no difference was found in the performance of students whether meeting the prerequisite requirements or taking a 1-month, self-paced overview course (exam 1: U=159, P=.13; exam 2: U=102, P=.50; course letter grade: U=117, P=.92). 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 after admission can serve as a viable alternative to the statistics prerequisite, effectively preparing students for advanced quantitative data analysis in a DNP program. 
SN  - 2373-6658
UR  - https://apinj.jmir.org/2024/1/e57187
UR  - https://doi.org/10.2196/57187
UR  - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/39250220
DO  - 10.2196/57187
ID  - info:doi/10.2196/57187
ER  -