Nonacademic Factors That Influence Nontraditional Nursing Student Retention

Area of Science:

• Nursing Education
• Student Persistence
• Higher Education

Background:

• Nontraditional students face unique challenges in nursing programs.
• Understanding factors influencing persistence is crucial for student success and retention.

Purpose of the Study:

• Identify supportive factors for nursing student persistence.
• Identify restrictive factors for nursing student persistence.
• Explore perceptions of nontraditional nursing students regarding program completion.

Main Methods:

• Survey administered to 59 nontraditional nursing associate degree students.
• Utilized the Student Perception Appraisal-Revised tool.
• Qualitative analysis of perceived supportive and restrictive factors.

Main Results:

• Peer encouragement from within the academic environment emerged as the primary supportive factor.
• Financial status was identified as the most significant restrictive factor impacting student persistence.
• Students' self-perceived barriers are key to understanding retention issues.

Conclusions:

• Nurse educators can leverage peer support systems to enhance student retention.
• Addressing financial barriers is critical for improving nontraditional nursing student success.
• Student-centered insights are vital for developing effective retention strategies in nursing education.