The National Council of State Boards of Nursing’s (NCSBN) 2024 RN Practice Analysis provides current, evidence-based insights for educators to align their nursing program with real-world practice. This study ensures that the National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses (NCLEX-RN®) remains a valid measure of entry-level nursing competence.
What do the 2024 RN Practice Analysis findings mean for nursing programs, educators, and — most importantly — students preparing for the NCLEX?
RN Practice Analysis Significance
The RN Practice Analysis isn’t built in a vacuum. Every 3 years, NCSBN surveys thousands of newly licensed registered nurses (RNs) across the United States and Canada to determine which activities are most common, most important, and most connected to clinical judgment. This data directly informs future updates to the NCLEX-RN® test plan, including the Next Generation NCLEX (NGN) framework.
In 2024, the survey drew on responses from 4,471 new nurses.1
2024 Key Findings
The 2024 RN Practice Analysis points to 4 themes shaping the future of licensure and nursing education:
While not an exhaustive list, these themes reflect the main intersections between real-world nursing practice and licensure exam content. They also serve as a roadmap for how nurse educators can align instruction with the competencies today’s graduates are expected to demonstrate.
Clinical Judgment Emphasis
Trend or cornerstone to safe nursing practice? Across nearly every setting, newly licensed nurses rated the importance of clinical judgment in day-to-day activities as extremely high, relevant to 100% of the 144 nursing activities analyzed.
What does this mean for educators? These findings validate test plan updates.
- Simulation, case studies, and adaptive learning are more important than ever.
- Resources like UWorld’s assignable and auto-graded NCLEX-RN items directly align with what happens in practice and on the exam.
- Student preparation on critical thinking, clear reasoning, and decisive actions under pressure is essential.
To dive deeper, read our article on critical thinking and clinical judgment skills.
Diverse Practice Settings
While most RNs begin practice in hospital settings, many are now delivering care in community-based and ambulatory environments, as well as home health and labor and delivery units.
| Healthcare Settings & RN Representation (%) | |
|---|---|
| Practice Area | Percentage |
| Hospitals | 81.9 |
| Critical Care | 28 |
| Pediatrics | 8.8 |
| Long-Term Care | 7.9 |
This evolving distribution calls for a more holistic preparation model — one that prioritizes adaptability, fosters cross-setting competencies, and equips students to serve diverse patient populations across acuity levels.
Kaleida Health’s NCLEX Success Story underscores how the right exam prep can impact nursing students across varied healthcare environments.
Curricula Implications
The 2024 RN Practice Analysis data highlights these curricula trends and action areas:
- 97.9% of new RNs received some form of formal orientation — many had preceptors (53.8%) or formal internships (33.6%).
- Simulation, clinical judgment, and evidence-based interventions should be embedded early and often to enhance clinical judgment skills.
- Curricula should stay responsive to reflect emerging patient care technologies and practice environments.
As nursing education and assessment evolve, the right resources can help educators close the gap between classroom and clinical practice.
Explore how UWorld supports curriculum alignment and innovation with UWorld Nursing Courses.
Administrative Actions
The 2024 RN Practice Analysis highlights administrators' crucial role in preparing graduates for licensure, safe practice, and the realities of today’s healthcare environment. Key takeaways include:
- Supporting faculty development in innovative teaching strategies that foster critical thinking and clinical judgment
- Investing in resources that promote experiential learning (e.g., simulation labs, diverse clinical placements)
- Offering transition-to-practice programs that ease the shift from education to clinical practice
These actions are both supportive and strategic. Administrators directly shape licensure success by championing faculty growth, enhancing student learning environments, and prioritizing practice-readiness to boost graduate confidence.
UWorld’s updated Learning Platform feature lets educators filter items by professional attributes — such as AACN Essentials Domains and American Nurses Association standards — and report on those attributes. This makes creating assignments that align with course objectives and curriculum goals easier.
Why This Matters to Educators and Students
The RN Practice Analysis research report is a reliable roadmap to student success. Understanding the current nursing practice can help align learning outcomes with NCLEX and practice demands.
Learn more about educator resources to help build robust, clinically relevant assessments and equip students with the clinical skills they’ll need on exam day and in practice.
References
- National Council of State Boards of Nursing. (2025). 2024 RN practice analysis: Linking the NCLEX-RN® examination to practice: U.S. and Canada (Vol. 89). National Council of State Boards of Nursing.https://www.ncsbn.org/exams/exam-statistics-and-publications/practice-analyses.page
