Predictors of student success in the US Army Graduate Program In Anesthesia Nursing

The primary objective of this research was to identify cognitive and noncognitive factors that may predict student success in the US Army Graduate Program in Anesthesia Nursing. Second, the results of this study will help identify students possibly at risk for failure so that interventional measures can be developed and implemented to promote success and reduce attrition. Participants in this 3-year longitudinal, nonexperimental, prospective, descriptive study were 42 students. Cognitive and noncognitive assessment tools were used to identify predictors of success. The measure of success was defined as graduation from the program and withdrawal or relief as nonsuccess. All data were analyzed using logistic regression. Results were considered statistically significant at a P value of .05 or less. Only 2 noncognitive factors, locus of control and trait anxiety, were statistically significant such that students with a more external locus of control and lower trait anxiety were more likely to succeed (-2 log likelihood of 33.83; overall P = .012). The findings suggest that locus of control and trait anxiety may be the most predictive indicators of success in the program. Furthermore, our findings support that noncognitive factors may be as vital as cognitive factors in predicting academic success.