Elsevier Launches AI-Powered HESI Personalized Learning Plan to Support Nursing Students
As nursing programs grapple with declining licensure pass rates and increasing demands on students, Elsevier has launched HESI’s Personalized Learning Plan (PLP) in North America, an AI-powered remediation and learning tool designed to better prepare nursing students for high-stakes exams and entry into clinical practice.
The new platform integrates Elsevier’s trusted nursing content with artificial intelligence to create personalized learning pathways that adapt to each student’s performance and knowledge gaps. Elsevier says the tool aims to transform how remediation is delivered in nursing education—making it more targeted, engaging, and manageable for today’s learners.
Why This Matters Now
The launch comes amid concerning trends in licensure exam outcomes. In the first quarter of 2025, the NCLEX-RN first-time pass rate for U.S.-educated nurses dropped to 88.37%, nearly six percentage points lower than the same period in 2024 and almost three points below the 2024 annual average.
While a few percentage points may seem small, the impact is significant. Lower first-time pass rates can delay licensure, slow workforce entry, and exacerbate staffing shortages—particularly at a time when healthcare systems are already under strain.
According to Elsevier, these trends highlight the need for earlier, more personalized academic support, especially when it comes to remediation after exams like HESI.
What Is HESI’s Personalized Learning Plan?
HESI’s PLP is the first AI-powered personalized remediation tool of its kind in the nursing education market. Rather than assigning broad review materials, the platform analyzes a student’s exam performance down to the individual question level and recommends targeted learning activities to address specific weaknesses.
For students, key features include:
- AI-driven, item-level recommendations based on individual exam performance
- Microlearning modules designed to fit into busy schedules
- Expanded content formats, including Osmosis tutorial videos, adaptive quizzes, case studies, and eBooks with multilingual audio options
- Progress tracking and milestones that help students stay motivated and engaged
Elsevier says the goal is to make remediation feel less overwhelming and more actionable—an area where traditional approaches often fall short.
Support for Nursing Faculty
The platform is also designed to give faculty greater visibility and control over remediation efforts. Instructors can customize learning plans, set performance benchmarks, and monitor progress through real-time analytics dashboards.
Faculty benefits include:
- Instructor-driven customization of learning plans and completion requirements
- Real-time performance analytics for individuals or cohorts, filterable by assignment and content type
- Data-informed intervention tools to support struggling students earlier
By providing clearer insights into student performance, Elsevier says HESI’s PLP can help educators intervene before gaps widen and exam outcomes are affected.
Voices From the Classroom
Brent Gordon, President of Healthcare Education at Elsevier, said the company’s focus is on improving readiness for both exams and clinical practice.
“By reshaping remediation in nursing education, we can improve exam performance and ultimately have more nurses entering the health system confident and practice ready,” Gordon said.
Students who have used the platform report increased flexibility and engagement. Madeline Weatherford, a nursing student at Northwest Nazarene University, said the format helped her fit studying into her daily life.
“The functionality allows me to listen to the content on a walk or when travelling to school,” Weatherford said. “Overall, the product makes remediation feel less overwhelming and more manageable.”
What This Means for Nursing Students and the Profession
As nursing education evolves alongside changes to the NCLEX and growing workforce demands, tools like HESI’s Personalized Learning Plan reflect a broader shift toward data-driven, personalized education.
For nursing students, this could mean earlier identification of knowledge gaps, more efficient study time, and better preparation for licensure and clinical practice. For educators and healthcare systems, improved pass rates and faster workforce entry could help address ongoing staffing challenges.
More information about HESI’s Personalized Learning Plan is available through Elsevier.
