TY - JOUR
T1 - Hate the course or hate to go : semester differences in first year nursing attrition
AU - Andrew, Sharon
AU - Salamonson, Yenna
AU - Weaver, Roslyn
AU - Smith, Ana
AU - O'Reilly, Rebecca
AU - Taylor, Christine
PY - 2008
Y1 - 2008
N2 - Most of the attrition from nursing courses occurs in the first year of study. Devising university strategies to reduce attrition requires an understanding of why students leave. The aim of this study was to explore whether students who leave a nursing course in the first semester leave for the same or different reasons than students who leave in the second semester of study. Seventeen students who had left the course were interviewed by telephone: seven in the first semester and ten in the second. In the first semester, students who leave consider themselves unprepared for university, have competing roles outside university and develop a strong dislike of the nursing course. They decide quickly that the course is unsuitable and leave. Those who leave in second semester would prefer to stay but events in their life create a crisis where they can no longer cope with university studies. These students hope to return to nursing whereas students who leave in the first semester are unlikely to consider returning. Attempts to retain students in the first semester may be futile as these students may be unsuited or uncommitted whereas there is greater scope to retain those who leave in the second semester.
AB - Most of the attrition from nursing courses occurs in the first year of study. Devising university strategies to reduce attrition requires an understanding of why students leave. The aim of this study was to explore whether students who leave a nursing course in the first semester leave for the same or different reasons than students who leave in the second semester of study. Seventeen students who had left the course were interviewed by telephone: seven in the first semester and ten in the second. In the first semester, students who leave consider themselves unprepared for university, have competing roles outside university and develop a strong dislike of the nursing course. They decide quickly that the course is unsuitable and leave. Those who leave in second semester would prefer to stay but events in their life create a crisis where they can no longer cope with university studies. These students hope to return to nursing whereas students who leave in the first semester are unlikely to consider returning. Attempts to retain students in the first semester may be futile as these students may be unsuited or uncommitted whereas there is greater scope to retain those who leave in the second semester.
UR - http://handle.uws.edu.au:8081/1959.7/555690
U2 - 10.1016/j.nedt.2007.12.007
DO - 10.1016/j.nedt.2007.12.007
M3 - Article
SN - 0260-6917
VL - 28
SP - 865
EP - 872
JO - Nurse Education Today
JF - Nurse Education Today
IS - 7
ER -