Abstract
Background: There has been a steady increase
in the number of student nurses withdrawing
from pre registration courses in the UK. In 2002
the Department of Health set an attrition target
of ��% (DH, 2002), however in 2006 there
was an average attrition rate of 28% (Waters
2006). This has several implications including;
the potential loss of workforce, and financial
constraints imposed upon the Higher Education
Institutions where funding for nurse lecturers
is linked to student numbers. Although studies
have been published around this topic, there
is limited literature exploring the issue from
the perspective of students after they have
withdrawal (Last and Fulbrook 200�).
Methodology: A qualitative methodological
approach using semi structured tape recorded
telephone interviews was adopted for the study.
A purposive sampling approach that included
all students who had voluntarily withdrawn
from the course within the previous year was
utilised. Data was analysed using a thematic
content analysis approach.
Results and Discussion: All �8 students who
had withdrawn from the course were invited to
participate in the study (although it is unclear if
addresses were current) and nine agreed to be
interviewed. The results indicated there was no
one single factor caused them to withdraw from
the course, rather a combination of factors.
Reasons included: financial factors, having to
travel to placements, the volume and level of
academic work, the nature and experiences
they had of clinical placements and a lack of
support. Interestingly seven of the respondents
reported the branch (ie child, adult, mental
health, learning disability) they were on was
not their first choice. This paper will discuss the
findings including the issues surrounding data
collected at the exit interview. Suggestions will
be made as to how they could be addressed to
potentially reduce student attrition rates.
Original language | English |
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Publication status | Published - 2007 |
Event | Royal College of Nursing (RCN) International Nursing Research Conference - Dundee, United Kingdom Duration: 1 May 2007 → 4 May 2007 |
Conference
Conference | Royal College of Nursing (RCN) International Nursing Research Conference |
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Country/Territory | United Kingdom |
City | Dundee |
Period | 1/05/07 → 4/05/07 |