The NEST: An upstream approach to student success.

BACKGROUND: Pre- and post-licensure nursing students often face academic challenges in high stakes courses such as pathophysiology and pharmacology. To promote nursing program completion and timely graduation, it is important that students achieve success in these courses. PURPOSE: Recognizing the need to provide comprehensive academic support to students enrolled in pathophysiology and pharmacology, one school of nursing implemented an academic excellence initiative called NEST (Nursing Excellence through Scholarship and Technology). METHOD: The NEST program combines targeted academic interventions with peer-facilitated instruction, mentoring, and community building. Outcomes, including course pass rates, were collected over a two-year period. Pre- and post-NEST implementation outcomes were compared using institutional data. FINDINGS: After NEST implementation, pass rates for the pre-licensure pathophysiology course increased, and overall pass rates for the post-licensure pathophysiology and pharmacology courses increased. NEST implementation also decreased the amount of time faculty spent meeting with students who needed academic support. CONCLUSION: NEST provides a structured, evidence-based approach to promoting student achievement through a targeted and comprehensive framework for academic support that other nursing schools can replicate to promote academic success for students.