Student perceptions of repeating a nursing fundamentals course: A qualitative descriptive study

Area of Science:

• Nursing Education
• Student Learning

Background:

• Undergraduate nursing programs face challenges with student retention.
• Repeating a fundamental nursing course is a common intervention for struggling students.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore the perceptions of undergraduate nursing students repeating the fundamentals course.
• To understand the impact of a simultaneous support course on these students' learning experiences.

Main Methods:

• Qualitative descriptive study design.
• Interviews conducted with six undergraduate baccalaureate nursing students.
• Focus on perceptions following the repeated fundamentals nursing course.

Main Results:

• Emergent themes included discovering the value of repeating the course.
• Students focused more on academic work and navigated new social groups.
• Gained insight into the experiences of students repeating a nursing fundamentals course.

Conclusions:

• Nurse educators should emphasize the value of academic support resources.
• Advisers and administrators can use these findings to improve student retention strategies.
• Understanding student perceptions is key to enhancing undergraduate nursing program success.