How Lansdale’s PN program uses Launch: Nursing Academic Readiness™️ to strengthen student skills

Two years ago, the PN program at Lansdale School of Business (LSB) in Lansdale, Pa., faced a formidable challenge: Reversing its low NCLEX pass rates to overcome probationary status. In that time, the program has made a dramatic turnaround thanks to faculty determination and the integration of Launch: Nursing Academic Readiness™️ and other ATI solutions.

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Since summer 2023, when LSB started providing Launch: Nursing Academic Readiness to incoming students, four cohorts have completed this academic and study skills curriculum. Faculty members say Launch has improved scores in Fundamentals I and led to significantly fewer failures in Anatomy and Physiology — and ultimately, a stronger ability to progress through the demanding curriculum. They credit Launch and the ATI solutions suite for the most significant improvement of all: NCLEX pass rates nearing 100%.

Improving student readiness

“Launch has helped us tremendously,” said Lori Spiezio, MSN, RN, WCC, Director of Nursing for the LSB Practical Nursing Program. “I have been following this for the last four terms, and we have seen immediate changes in student performance.”

Spiezio, who joined the LSB faculty in 2021 and took the reins as director in 2022, recognized the potential impact of Launch and quickly added it to the school’s Complete Partner Package after learning about it during an ATI webinar in 2023.

ATI developed Launch: Nursing Academic Readiness to address the widespread need for a stronger academic foundation in first-year nursing students. Launch is a self-paced program comprised of five modules that help ensure academic readiness. They are:

1. A baseline knowledge assessment
2. Reading, math, science, and English
3. Study skills and test-taking strategies
4. Anatomy and physiology
5. An end-of-review assessment.

Using data gathered in the baseline knowledge assessment, an ATI Educator provides a personalized study plan to ensure each student is ready to progress in an academic nursing program within six weeks.

Strategic placement in the curriculum

To maximize the effectiveness of Launch, Spiezio revised LSB’s orientation activities and the structure of the first course. (Another common placement for the Launch curriculum is 6 to 8 weeks before the start of the first term.)

"When we brought Launch in, I changed our course lineup so that Launch could be done first,” Spiezio said. “We incorporate it into our Professional Concepts course by giving them some time to work on Launch assignments in class. They also work on Launch assignments at home.”

As part of that curriculum adjustment, Spiezio moved Medical Terminology earlier in the first term and Anatomy and Physiology later in the term. “This restructuring allows students to build a solid foundation before tackling more challenging material,” she said.

Each incoming student begins their Launch experience at orientation a week before classes begin, when they take the Test of Essential Academic Skills (TEAS). An ATI Educator then uses the TEAS data to develop a customized plan for each student to progress through the Launch modules. They begin working in Launch during the first week of class.

"Since we've been using Launch, students have a more solid foundation to help them succeed in their other courses," said Debra Clark, BSN, RN, Nursing Instructor at LSB.

Clark teaches Professional Concepts and Fundamentals I, two classes that provide direct insight into students’ foundational knowledge. She said the weekly updates provided by the ATI Educator align with her classroom observations and allow for timely interventions.

“I can tell who's really working through the Launch modules,” she said. “What I see in the classroom and what the coaches are telling me are very similar. If I see a student struggling, I’ll look back at the TEAS score report and it gives me a better idea of what’s going on with them.”

Far-reaching impacts on students

In addition to improvements in academic subjects, the LSB faculty value the ways that Launch helps incoming students build skills that serve them well in other areas.

“A lot of students simply don’t know how to study,” Clark said. “By strengthening their reading and comprehension skills, core concepts are reinforced with a better understanding of the knowledge to apply on tests. The test-taking strategies and study skills modules are very helpful to students. I feel that Launch gets them prepared before they develop poor study habits or test-taking approaches.”

Critical thinking is another area in which the faculty has noted improvements. “Before we started using Launch, we had more students  who did not meet the benchmarks to pass Fundamentals, Medical Terminology, and Anatomy and Physiology,” Spiezio said. “They were really struggling with critical thinking.  Since we’ve been using Launch, they have a solid foundation to help them succeed in all of their courses.”

She added: "I know of students who go back to their Launch A&P modules as they take their Anatomy and Physiology class. It’s a resource they continue using."

Creating a thriving learning environment

For the faculty and students at LSB, adopting Launch: Nursing Academic Readiness and the ATI Complete Package has been a game-changer. By establishing a solid foundation for incoming students and implementing data-driven curriculum and assessment solutions, the dedicated faculty has turned the PN program around in just two years.

“Since incorporating the ATI Complete Package, we have seen a big difference,” Spiezio said. “We’ve been able to increase our pass rates and make a lot of progress because of all the help and tools that we utilize from ATI.”

Learn more about Launch: Nursing Academic Readiness