Attrition of undergraduate nursing students at South African Universities

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Date
2014-07
Authors
Roos, Erna
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Publisher
University of the Free State
Abstract
English: The aim of the study was to determine and describe the attrition rate and the factors influencing undergraduate nursing students to discontinue the nursing programme at selected South African universities. Knowing the current attrition rate and understanding why nursing students do not complete an undergraduate programme can be a possible means to decrease the poor production rate of degree qualified registered nurses. These comprehensively trained registered nurses are needed to assist in implementing the healthcare plans made by the current South African Government. They are the frontline practitioners in providing healthcare to the South African population. A quantitative descriptive design was used to gather the required information, with a specifically designed questionnaire and structured interview guide. Two populations were selected, namely Study Population One: Universities, which are grantees of the Atlantic Philanthropies and ELMA Group of Foundations under the University-based nursing education of South Africa (UNEDSA) project. The second study population is identified as former nursing students, who were enrolled at the nursing educational institutions within the selected universities. No intervention or treatments were used therefore, no harm was anticipated for the participants of this study. The expected outcome was to determine, calculate and compare attrition rates at the selected universities and to identify and trend the factors influencing former nursing students to discontinue their undergraduate nursing studies. This information could be valuable in making recommendations to existing selection criteria used to select candidates for an undergraduate nursing programme. Furthermore, recommendations can be made to establish and maintain a data base to gather information of the completion and attrition rates of nursing students per intake. The information received from the data base is needed for strategic planning for the following year. Lastly, recommendations can be made to implement strategies to assist at-risk nursing students, who consider discontinuing the undergraduate programme. The study revealed that attrition of undergraduate nursing students does occur at the participating universities. Attrition furthermore occurs at a higher rate than prescribed by the South African Department of Higher Education. A further discovery was that not all selected candidates register for the undergraduate nursing programme, thus contributing to the low number of degree qualified registered nurses. The second phase of the study reveals the main factors influencing undergraduate nursing students to discontinue the undergraduate programme to be academic and financial reasons. Another factor of a high occurrence that influenced former nursing students to discontinue their undergraduate studies was poor wellness and health. From the above-mentioned discoveries recommendations could be made with regards to the following: - Review the current selection criteria to perform a personal interview with each candidate, establish personality traits of applicants to further select the best possible candidate and include a general health questionnaire and medical certificate to declare the candidate fit to practice nursing - Establish and maintain a data base at each Nursing Educational Institution to determine the number of applicants, the number of candidates selected and the number of students who finally registered for the nursing programme as well as the number of nursing students who discontinue each year - Investigate reasons why selected candidates did not register for the undergraduate nursing programme - Share attrition and completion rates with the South African Nursing Council (SANC) to maintain a national data base - Perform an exit interview with a nursing student who voice the decision to discontinue the undergraduate nursing programme to determine and trend the possible factors that influenced the student to discontinue the programme - Identify retention strategies to best assist the at-risk nursing students to include academic and clinical support, financial assistance and wellness and health programmes
Afrikaans: Die studie het ten doel gehad om die uitvalsyfer onder voorgraadse verpleegkundestudente by geselekteerde universiteite in Suid-Afrika te bepaal en beskryf. Kennis van die huidige uitvalsyfer en begrip van die redes hoekom verpleegkundestudente die voorgraadse studies staak, kan ‟n moontlike manier wees om die swak uitset van graadgekwalifiseerde verpleegkundiges te verhoog. Omvattend opgeleide verpleegkundiges word benodig vir die implementering van die teenswoordige gesondheidsorgplanne van die Suid-Afrikaanse regering. Verpleegkundiges is die eerste linie versorgers wat gesondheidsorg aan die Siud-Afrikaanse populasie verskaf. ‟n Kwantitatief beskrywende ontwerp is gebruik om die nodige inligting te versamel. ‟n Spesifiek ontwerpte vraelys en gestruktureerde onderhoudsgids is hiervoor saamgestel. Twee studiepopulasies is gekies, naamlik Studiepopulasie Een: Universiteite wat finansiële ondersteuning ontvang van die “Atlantic Philantrophies” en “ELMA Group of Foundations” deur middel van die “University-based nursing education of South Africa”- (UNEDSA) projek. Die tweede studiepopulasie is voormalige verpleegkundestudente wat in die verpleegskole van die geselekteerde universiteite geregistreer was. Aangesien geen intervensie of behandeling tydens die studie toegepas is nie, is geen benadeling van die deelnemers aan die studie voorsien nie. Die verwagte uitkoms was om die uitvalsyfer by die uitgesoekte universiteite te bepaal, te verwerk en dan vergelykings tussen die resultate van die verskillende universiteite te tref. Daar is verwag om die redes te identifiseer hoekom voormalige verpleegkundestudente besluit om hulle voorgraadse studies te staak en dan tendense vas te stel. Die inligting kan waardevol wees om aanbevelings te maak ten opsigte van hersiening van huidige seleksiekriteria om voornemende verpleegkundestudente te keur. Dit kan verder ook van waarde wees om ‟n databasis te skep en te onderhou wat die voltooing- en uitvalsyfers van verpleegkundestudente per jaargroep aandui. So ‟n databasis kan gebruik word tydens die strategiese beplanningsessies vir ‟n volgende jaar. Laastens, kan strategieë voorgestel word om risiko-verpleegkundestudente in die verpleegprogram te behou. Die studie het uitgewys dat uitvalle van voorgraadse verpleegkundestudente wel by die deelnemende universiteite voorkom teen ‟n hoër tempo as waarvoor die Suid-Afrikaanse Departement van Hoër Onderwys voorsiening maak. Daar is verder bepaal dat nie alle geselekteerde kandidate wel as studente vir die voorgraadse verpleegprogram registreer nie. Dit kan nog ‟n moontlike rede wees hoekom daar ‟n laer getal verpleegkundestudente gradueer. Die tweede fase van die studie het die twee hooffaktore wat voorgraadse verpleegkundestudente beïnvloed het om die verpleegstudies te staak uitgewys. Dit blyk dat swak akademiese vordering en ‟n voorgesette tekort aan finansiering die meeste voorgraadse verpleegkundestudente beïnvloed om die voorgraadse verpleegprogram te staak. ‟n Verdere faktor is dat die verpleegkundestudente gesondheidsprobleme ervaar wat hulle vermoë om hulle studies te voltooi, belemmer het. Uit die bevindinge kan aanbeveel word: - Hersien die huidige seleksiekriteria om ‟n persoonlike onderhoud met elke voornemende kandidaat te voer, stel die persoonlikheidskenmerke van voornemende kandidate vas om sodoende die beste moontlike kandidaat te vind en sluit ‟n gesondheidsvraelys en ‟n mediese sertifikaat in, wat verklaar dat die voornemende verpleegkundestudent by magte is om verpleegtake uit te voer - Skep ‟n databasis by elke verpleegskool wat bepaal hoeveel kandidate aansoek doen, hoeveel kandidate gekeur word en hoeveel kandidate uiteindelik as studente vir die voorgraadse verpleegprogram registreer, sowel as die getal verpleegstudente wat die verpleegprogram staak en voltooi - Identifiseer die redes hoekom geselekteerde kandidate nie vir die voorgraadse verpleegprogram registreer nie - Deel uitval- en voltooiingsgetalle met die Suid-Afrikaanse Raad op Verpleging (SARV) om ‟n nasionale databasis tot stand te bring - Voer ‟n uittredingsonderhoud met elke verpleegkundestudent wat besluit om te staak. Hierdie inligting kan waardevolle insette in die faktore en die tendense van staking van studie vasstel. - Identifiseer die bes moontlike strategie om die risiko-verpleegkundestudent te ondersteun. Van die planne kan akademiese en kliniese ondersteunings-programme, finansiële ondersteunings- en gesondheidverbeteringsprogramme insluit.
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Keywords
Nursing students -- Training of, Nursing -- Study and teaching, Nursing students dropouts -- South Africa, Universities and colleges -- South Africa -- Undergraduates, Dissertation (M.Soc.Sc. (Nursing))--University of the Free State, 2014
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