Pre-admission factors associated with student success in a practical nursing program: A retrospective cohort study

To examine the relationship between admission-related variables and first-attempt success among Practical Nursing students.

Licensed Practical Nurses are essential healthcare professionals across diverse settings. Amidst global nursing shortages, educational institutions strive to maximize practical nursing graduates. Limited research is available about factors related to student success in practical nursing programs. To support success and guide institutional admission procedures, more evidence is needed.

Retrospective cohort study.

We obtained a convenience sample (N = 312) of student admission records from four cohorts (Class of 2016-2019) of a Canadian practical nursing program. We conducted bivariate and logistic regression analyses to identify demographic and academic admission-related variables related to first-attempt success (i.e., graduating within the expected timeline).

Bivariate analysis showed differences in several demographic and academic characteristics between successful (n = 243) and unsuccessful (n = 69) groups. Final model predictors included: high school graduation status - academic (OR 0.18, 95 % CI 0.06, 0.54), general (OR 0.11, 95 % CI 0.03, 0.39); direct high school entry (OR 0.19, 95 % CI 0.08, 0.42); completing one (OR 2.40, 95 % CI 0.87, 6.60) or more (OR 3.29, 95 % CI 0.88, 12.23) Anatomy & Physiology courses and completing a high school Biology course (OR 2.10, 95 % CI 1.03, 4.27).

Differences in high school academics, bioscience courses and direct high school admission offer insights into student sub-groups potentially at higher risk for attrition. Further research is needed into factors related to practical nursing students first-attempt success to strengthen this important body of evidence.