PhD nursing students’ changing needs relative to the comprehensive doctoral examination

Standards needed? An exploration of qualifying exams from a literature review and website analysis of university-wide policies

“…One variable that impacts timing is the institutional, program or departmental policies and requirements. For example, Berkely’s PhD program in Mathematics QEs include a written preliminary exam before the end of the first three semesters and an oral QE that must be attempted by the end of Year 2 (Earl-Novell, 2006), one EdD program gives the QE in the spring semester of their second year, which is the last year of course work (McBrayer et al , 2020), marketing programs often have a first year QE and a second written QE due in Year 2 or 3 (Ponder et al , 2004) and QEs are typically given during the second year of most nursing PhD programs (Allard et al , 2021). Other possible variables that may impact timing of a particular student’s completion of QEs include individual student preparedness, bureaucratic/administrative challenges like getting the assessment committee together and lack of incentives to or penalties not to adhere to established timelines.…”

“…Nursing doctoral students also voiced a need to better understand evaluation criteria and exam outcomes, as variable QE experiences created a feeling of injustice and during preparation for the QE students exhibit the poorest well-being (i.e. highest stress levels and lowest satisfaction with program) (Allard et al, 2021). The interviewed nursing students suggested that more support would Exploration of qualifying exams de-stress the QE experience, such as senior student advice to help prepare for QEs as well as peer-study groups.…”

“…The high-stakes and stress-inducing QE process has been identified as a contributor to URM student attrition while noting that program support can mitigate this problem (Wilson et al, 2018). It seems natural that QEs as traditionally implemented could lead to attrition, and the evidence suggests that providing support and SGPE 15,1 potentially changing the format of QEs can lower attrition rates (Allard et al, 2021;Nerad and Cerny, 1993).…”

Standards needed? An Exploration of Qualifying Exams from a Literature Review and Website Analysis of University-Wide Policies

“…One variable that impacts timing is the institutional, doctoral program, or departmental policies and requirements. For example, Berkely’s PhD program in Mathematics QEs include a written preliminary exam before the end of the first three semesters and an oral QE that must be attempted by the end of year two (Earl▫Novell, 2006), one EdD program gives the QE in the spring semester of their second year, which is the last year of course work (McBrayer et al, 2020), marketing programs often have a first year QE and a second written QE due in year 2 or 3 (Ponder et al, 2004), and QEs are typically given during the second year of most nursing PhD programs (Allard et al, 2021). Other possible variables that may impact timing of a particular student’s completion of QEs include individual student preparedness, bureaucratic/administrative challenges like getting the assessment committee together, and lack of incentives to or penalties not to adhere to established timelines.…”

“…Similarly, 97% of reviewed comprehension and rhetoric programs gave no public statement on how exams are assessed (Estrem and Lucas, 2003). Nursing doctoral students also voiced a need to better understand evaluation criteria and exam outcomes, as variable qualifying exam experiences created a feeling of injustice and during preparation for the QE students exhibit the poorest well-being (i.e., highest stress levels and lowest satisfaction with program) (Allard et al, 2021). The interviewed nursing students suggested that more support would de-stress the QE experience, such as senior student advice to help prepare for QEs as well as peer study groups.…”