Voluntary Attrition Among Traditional Baccalaureate Nursing Students: An Integrative Review.

AIM: The purpose of this review is to synthesize what is known about voluntary attrition from baccalaureate nursing education.

BACKGROUND: Understanding the reasons behind elective, voluntary attrition from nursing programs can help maximize resources and graduate more nurses into the workforce.

METHOD: An integrative review of the literature was conducted using the search strategy outlined by Whittemore and Knafl. The validated Mixed-Methods Appraisal Tool was used to assess the quality of the studies found in the search.

RESULTS: Ten studies met review criteria. Studies showed that academic and emotional underpreparedness, economic challenges, feelings of isolation, differences between perceptions of nursing and the realities of professional practice, and incongruence with learning objectives in clinical settings led to dissatisfaction.

CONCLUSION: It is important to educate the public about nursing as a rigorous college major. The realities of nursing school, feelings of acceptance, and academic preparedness must be addressed by educators.