Exploring Student Attrition in a Community College Registered Nursing Program. A Qualitative Single Case Study

Abstract

The problem addressed in this study was the high rate of student nursing attrition. The purpose of this qualitative single case research study was to identify perceived barriers to program completion for registered nursing pre-licensure students to determine ways to help students overcome these challenges. The conceptual framework for this research study was based on the Nontraditional Undergraduate Student Attrition Model developed by Bean and Metzner. This model focused on the nontraditional commuter student believing that, generally, this type of student is less connected to the college and environmental or social determinants, which, along with the student’s level of self-efficacy as described by Bandura, could be contributing factors to student attrition. Using purposive sampling, 11 former nursing students who enrolled in, but did not complete, the registered nursing pre-licensure program, were interviewed using in-person or Zoom interviews. The interviews were recorded, transcribed, member checked to verify accuracy, and then the transcripts were uploaded into Dedoose. Through the application of Braun and Clarke’s six steps for reflexive thematic analysis, six themes emerged related to the two research questions. The findings indicated there were social determinants and self-efficacy barriers to completion for some registered nursing students. The implication of these finding could be used by registered nursing pre-licensure programs to develop ways to assist students in overcoming these barriers, thereby, lowing their nursing student attrition rate. The three recommendations for future practice are based on the six themes that emerged during this study and from existing literature: (a) create an in-depth nursing-specific orientation class, (b) design a more stringent nursing student screening process, and (c) establish a nursing step-down program. This study contributed to the existing body of literature by examining and adding to the knowledge base regarding registered nursing students’ perceived barriers to completion.