Factors impacting student success in a fundamentals course of an associate degree nursing program

Background: Attrition rates are high for nursing programs. Attrition must be addressed to ensure nursing programs are financially sustainable and healthcare has an adequate supply of nurses. Purpose: Identify factors impacting the success of students enrolled in the fundamental nursing course. Methods: Retrospective file review of the previous seven cohorts (n = 351). Fifteen factors were investigated to determine their impact on successful completion of the fundamentals nursing course. Results: Successful completion was significantly associated with race identified by the participants (chi(2) =10.84, p = 0.01) as participants who identified as white demonstrated higher success rates. Increasing ACT composite score (b = 0.95, p = 0.00) positively correlated with the student's success completion (CI = 1.26-5.38). Higher grade in General Psychology (b = 0.36, p = 0.02) positively correlated with successful completion (CI = 0.50-0.96). Recommendations and Conclusions: Data can be used to evaluate current admission criteria and to develop support programs for students who may be at risk for not progressing well. (C) 2021 Organization for Associate Degree Nursing. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.