Factors That Restrict or Support Retention among RN-to-BSN Nursing Students: A Replication Study

Brelinda Kern

McKendree University, Lebanon, USA.

DOI: 10.4236/ojn.2014.44034                

Abstract

RN-to-BSN nursing programs fulfill a needed link to the BSN degree for nurses who hold associate or diploma degrees. Although enrollment rates are currently on the rise for all nursing programs retention remains an issue. Improving retention in nursing education, particularly RN-to-BSN programs, will help meet the demands for increasing numbers of BSN-educated nurses. The purpose of this study was to describe factors that restricted or promoted retention among RN-to-BSN students and examine if there was a difference in the measure of these factors between a group of senior students and junior students. Jeffreys’ (2004) nursing undergraduate retention and success (NURS) model, a conceptual framework, was used to guide the study. A non-experimental, descriptive, comparison design was used. This study was a replication of Jeffreys’ (2007) study utilizing a different population of RN-to-BSN students. Analysis was completed by descriptive techniques, and comparisons were made using independent t-tests. No significance was found between junior status students and senior status students for five factors of retention. Although all of the factors were found to be supportive, environmental factors were the least supportive and support from family and friends was found to the most supportive. More studies are needed focused on the RN-to-BSN student population to validate the findings of this study related to factors that restrict and support retention among this population so strategies can be developed to address the issues.

Keywords

Nursing; RN-to-BSN; Retention

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

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