The National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN) recently selected June MacDonald-Jenkins, a Nursing program faculty member, to help develop its standardized licensing exams for entry-level registered and practical nurses (RN and PN).The Nursing program is offered collaboratively by Durham College and the University of Ontario Institute of Technology.

MacDonald-Jenkins participated in the NCSBN’s National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX) item (exam question) writing panel March 7 through 10 in Chicago, Illinois.

“It was an honour to take part in the NCLEX Item Writing panel,” said MacDonald-Jenkins. “This was a wonderful opportunity to network with other nursing professionals on a national and international level, and to demonstrate the University of Ontario Institute of Technology’s and Durham College’s commitment to preparing students for the NCLEX exam.”

Nursing boards in the U.S. and Canada use the NCLEX-RN and NCLEX-PN to determine whether a candidate is prepared to enter the nursing field after graduating from an accredited nursing program.

Each year, hundreds of nurse educators, clinicians and managers help create the exam by participating in development panels. The NCSBN selects qualified volunteer applicants based on experience working with entry-level nurses, clinical specialty and nursing expertise to fill the following positions:

• Item writers: Create the questions administered in the exams.
• Item reviewers: Examine the questions the item writers create.

Canadian nurses represent 20 per cent of the volunteers invited to participate.

Volunteers are approved by their provincial/territorial regulatory body. The panels take place throughout the year in Chicago.