Are Student Drop Out Rates Affecting the Nursing Shortage?

Earlier this week, my class was unfortunate enough to have another classmate drop out of nursing school. This is the tenth person who has dropped out since we started nursing school last fall and drops our total class size to merely 25 students. If 10 students dropped out in 18 months, how many students will be left when we graduate in a year? This makes me wonder whether the drop out rate affects the overall nursing shortage in our country.

It seems that every nursing school has long wait lists and small class sizes. This makes getting accepted into nursing school more and more difficult, as more people apply every year. It seems unfortunate that some willing students are not accepted because their GPA was not as high as another student who ended up dropping out anyway. But how is this problem solved?

After doing some research at my school’s library, I could find no recent studies on the relationship between student nurse drop out rates and the current nursing shortage in our country. How do we help student nurses make it to graduation? Or how do we ensure that those who are accepted into nursing school are the ones who are in it for the long haul?

Now granted there are many reasons why people drop out of nursing school. Family concerns, finances and health concerns are just a few of the understandable issues that can cause a student to withdraw from the program. But what are the reasons that students drop out that are preventable? If we can identify these problems perhaps we can provide the support these students need to make it to graduation.

What are your thoughts on this? Does your nursing school have programs in place to help students make it to the end? Have you found any recent research on the nursing shortage and student drop out rates?

Be Sure to Ask Questions Before You Start Nursing School

How do you transition from pre-nursing student to nursing student? Many students make the mistake of waiting until the first day of class to discover what nursing school really involves. I recommend that when the thought of applying to nursing school first enters your mind, you should have a list of questions for your school and yourself in order to prepare for what lies ahead.

One very important question that I failed to ask myself was: “How much extra money will I need outside of the required fees?” After my acceptance into nursing school, I was shocked by how much out-of-pocket money was needed before school even started. There were fees for medical equipment, uniforms, I.D.s, drug tests, insurance, immunizations and a brand new laptop that was required for my program. The total amount of money that I spent before school started was close to $3,000. This can be very hard to come up with before you’re even able to apply for grants or student loans. Be sure to check with a financial aid officer and an academic advisor so you are aware of any expenses that are not clearly defined under “program fees.”

Ask yourself if you’ll realistically be able to work while in nursing school. Most schools recommend not working or at least working only 20 hours a week. I’ve managed a part-time job while in school, but I would definitely not recommend it. It can cut into your study time and your family time and make friends merely a luxury during the summer.

If you have children, be sure to check with your program about missing classes. Some programs will dock you grade points or even kick you out of nursing school if you miss too many days. Be sure to have a back-up plan for when your kids are sick or not in school.

If you have no hospital experience at all, see if you can shadow a nurse for a day or even volunteer at a hospital or long-term facility for some experience. For those that have never had a CNA job or a good grasp of what a nurse does, it can be a huge shock when you enter nursing school. I have seen quite a few of my classmates drop out because they thought being a nurse was completely different than it is.

The best advice I have is to talk to as many people as possible about their experience at your nursing school of choice. Ask for tips on what to prepare for and get some ideas on where to buy used books, how to study for particular classes and even suggestions on how to make your transition from pre-nursing student to nursing student an easy one.

Don’t forget that even though it may seem overwhelming right now, you will be amazed at how well you will be able to adapt to your new role of being a nursing student. You have a large community of people that are experiencing this with you. You can do it.