Developing student nurse retention using action research

Abstract

Aims of project: to understand students’ and staff concerns about this pre-registration nurse education programme and placements as part of developing our retention strategies.

There is international concern about retention of student nurses on undergraduate programmes. United Kingdom Higher Education Institutions are monitored on their attrition statistics and can be penalised financially, so they have an incentive to help students remain on their programmes. Moreover, it is incumbent on healthcare education providers to ensure that students receive the best possible educational experience whilst they are studying for their professional qualifications. It is in this context that we designed our study to investigate the issues facing our students, how we could better foster a sense of belonging and suggest what we could do to alleviate their concerns and help them to stay.