Predicting academic success in a nontraditional program

Predictors and estimators of success in institutions of higher education have primarily been developed for traditional students in campus-based programs. With the rapidly increasing number of nontraditional allied health programs and students, there is a need to evaluate variables that may be used as predictors specifically for these students. This study examined the admission criteria and measures of success for 40 nontraditional respiratory care students. The subjects included 6 males and 34 females, who ranged from 17 to 50 years of age. The findings revealed a prediction model for three indicators of success: program average, clinical performance rating, and credentialing exam scores. Graduates' records were reviewed to assess which student selection criteria correlated well with these indicators. All models were significant at the 0.05 alpha level. These results may be useful in the selection of students for nontraditional respiratory care programs as well as in the selection of students for other allied health programs.