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The purpose of this study is to determine the extent to which rural nursing content is included in the curricula of baccalaureate and associate degree nursing programs in Texas. Additional purposes include determining the association between the emphasis on rural nursing content perceived by curricular chairpersons as ideal and current content emphasis, examining the difference in rural nursing emphasis between the two program levels, determining variables predictive of rural nursing emphasis and determining efforts to recruit students from rural areas. Data were collected by means of a mailed questionnaire developed by the investigator. Statistical analyses of these data were then conducted. Major findings include the determination of current and perceived ideal emphasis of rural nursing content, the difference in rural nursing emphasis between baccalaureate and associate degree nursing schools in Texas, the association between perceived ideal and actual content emphasis, those variables which are predictive of rural nursing emphasis in undergraduate curricula in Texas and the recruitment efforts from rural areas made by each level of program.

High nursing student attrition has been a pervasive problem in the nursing program at the research site of this study. The purpose of this project study was to investigate the relationship between attrition and nursing student characteristics, including age, gender, ethnicity, English as Second Language (ESL) background, licensed practical nurse (LPN) licensure, grade point average (GPA), the number of preadmission college credits, and the Test of Essential Academic Skills (TEAS) scores. This correlational study of archival data was guided by Jeffreys's nursing undergraduate retention and success model and included a convenience sample of 240 students admitted to the program between the Spring 2011 and Fall 2013 semesters. Point biserial and phi coefficient statistical analyses indicated that significant relationships existed between attrition and ethnicity, GPA, TEAS scores, college credits, and LPN status. There were no significant relationships between attrition and age, gender, and ESL background. Student characteristics correlated with higher attrition included ethnic minority background, more college credits, lower TEAS composite and math scores, lower GPA scores, and not having LPN licensure. These research results were the basis for policy recommendations for changes to the admission process within the nursing program and for early identification of students at risk for attrition, with the goal of providing early supportive measures. The overall goal of the policy recommendations was to decrease attrition at the local research site, which may help foster positive social change by promoting the educational and professional progress of nursing students. Nursing student attrition can negatively affect a nursing program's finances and reputation. For students, attrition represents lost time, lost finances, and a limited possibility for achieving socioeconomic progress.

The retention of nursing students remains a challenge in higher education, and the need for nurses in the United States is projected to increase. The purpose of this study was to investigate nursing student persistence in an associate degree program by examining differences in the presence of key social, environmental, and academic factors across 2 types of students: completers and non-completers of the 1st course in a registered nursing program. The study framework was based on Tinto's Student Integration Model and the Nursing Undergraduate Retention and Success Model, which identify key social, environmental, and academic factors as critical to student success. The Student Perception Appraisal survey, which consists of 27 items arranged into 5 subscales 'personal academic, environmental, institutional interaction, college facilities, and friend support' was administered to students enrolled in the 1st semester of a registered nursing program who were later assigned to a group based on course completion (n = 90 completers; n = 22 non-completers). An independent-samples t test revealed no statistically significant differences between the groups on the instrument subscale scores. Recommendations include further study with larger and more equivalent group sizes. Implications for social change include providing initial research findings and recommendations to the study site that may ultimately increase the number of nursing graduates to meet the ever-increasing demand for healthcare professionals.

This ex post facto study sought to examine: the efficacy of Mosby's Assess Test as a valid predictor of NCLEX (National Council of State Boards of Nursing Licensure Examination) scores; significant correlations among semester averages, semester tests failed, Nelson Denny Reading Test scores, and NCLEX scores; and differences in NCLEX outcomes in relation to ethnicity, age, and prior practical nursing licensure for 558 associate degree nursing graduates who wrote the NCLEX in 1983 and 1984. Significant positive relationships were found among Mosby scores, Nelson Denny scores, semester averages, and NCLEX scores. A significant negative relationship was found between number of semester tests failed and NCLEX scores. The mean NCLEX score of older graduates was higher than the mean NCLEX score of younger graduates. LPN graduates had a higher mean NCLEX score than non-LPN graduates. White graduates' mean NCLEX score was greater than the average score for black graduates. Combined predictor variables which yielded the best estimate of the criterion variable (NCLEX scores) for all graduates included mean semester average, Mosby scores, age above thirty-three, and Nelson Denny scores, respectively. The most important predictor of black graduates' NCLEX success was prior practical nursing licensure. Other significant predictors for black graduates' NCLEX success were mean semester average, Mosby scores, mean number of semester tests failed, age above thirty-three, and Nelson Denny scores, respectively. Mean semester average, mean score of the Mosby test, mean number of semester tests failed, and age above thirty-three were the most significant predictors of white graduates' NCLEX success. Older graduates had a higher mean Mosby score, a higher mean semester average, and failed fewer semester tests than younger graduates. The study results will be of interest to nurse educators and counselors who are concerned with curricular revision, student counseling, and remediation procedures as these relate to enhancement of graduates' potential for success on the NCLEX.

The WSCC ADN program had 66.57% persistence rate between the years 2000-2004. This retrospective study analyzed 28 demographic, pre-clinical, and clinical variables to identify correlates for persistence within the WSCC ADN program. The population size was 730 first-time candidates or the entire population of five consecutive clinical classes graduating between the years of 2000-2004. The candidates were identified and the variables tabulated using the WSCC student information system. SPSS 13.0 software was employed to conduct descriptive, frequency, multiple regression, multivariate analysis of variance, and univariate analysis of variance tests. The criterion variables included persistence within the entire population, gender-specific persistence factors, and age-specific factors within the traditional and non-traditional populations that persisted. Descriptive and frequency analysis found that most candidates were female (90.82%), Caucasian (96.44%), and classified as non-traditional (63.97%). Females and particularly non-traditional females maintained the highest persistence rates. The mean pre-clinical and clinical admittance ages were 25.04 and 28.39 years. Seventy percent of the candidates lived within the WSCC service area. The mean distance commuted was 37.71 miles. Statistical tests revealed that nine predictor variables influenced persistence within the entire population. The largest contributors of variance were 2nd semester clinical GPA (η2 = .33), cumulative pre-clinical GPA (η2 = .15), and grades in microbiology (η2 = .14). These variables along with the number of course withdrawals and/or grades of “F” were found to be major indicators for persistence within the female and male sub-populations. The number of full-time semesters was a more significant contributor in the male population (η2 = .12) than the female population (η2 = .02). Data analysis revealed that non-traditional students who persisted had higher human anatomy and physiology II grades while the traditional students had a higher rate of transferring coursework into the nursing program. These findings will aid in the direction of the recruitment, evaluation, and selection of potential candidates for this very demanding program of study while validating the importance of prerequisite core knowledge. The findings should serve as predictive evidence to better identify and inform potential “at-risk” candidates of the factors that affect persistence in this nursing program.

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