Nursing Professor Arlene Kuca Chosen to Assist in Nursing Licensure Procedure

A nursing professor at West Virginia Northern Community College was one of only a dozen nurses nationwide selected to assist in the procedure surrounding nursing licensure.

Arlene Kuca, of St. Clairsville, associate professor of nursing at Northern, was selected as a volunteer item writer for the National Council of State Boards of Nursing licensure examination, commonly referred to as NCLEX.
The national council, headquartered in Chicago, is responsible for developing and administering the NCLEX licensing exams for registered nursing and practical nursing candidates. Kuca was approved by the West Virginia Board of Nursing and selected by NCSBN to participate on the NCLEX item development panel of subject matter experts that was held in Chicago from Jan. 17-20 this year.

Kuca, an RN who also has a master’s in nursing, was nominated for the assignment on the basis of clinical specialty and nursing expertise, according to Linda Jo Shelek, professor and director of the nursing program at Northern.

Shelek explained that all nurses in the U.S. and its four territories must take the NCLEX. The licensing exam, she said, identifies those candidates who demonstrate minimal competence to practice nursing at the entry level. Passing the NCLEX exam is one of the requirements necessary for attaining a nursing license.