Retention and withdrawal of student nurses

The differences between stayers and leavers which were found through the objective measurements mentioned in this paper are found.

Abstract

Listed below are the differences between stayers and leavers which were found through the objective measurements mentioned in this paper. Students who leave secondary school at 18 have a lower drop-out rate than those who leave at 15 or 16. Intellectual characteristics In the intellectual domain the following relationships were found: (1) The average number of ordinary level passes for academic failures is significantly lower than for stayers. Voluntary leavers have slightly lower average number of ordinary level passes than do the stayers. (2) The average scores of academic failures on the AH4 Test of General Intelligence are much lower than those of stayers. The largest differences were obtained on the Part I (Verbal) and Total test scores. Voluntary leavers have slightly higher, but not significantly, scores than do the stayers. Non-intellectual characteristics An examination of the non-intellectual characteristics of stayers and leavers yielded the following results: (1) Leavers are more expedient (16PF Factor G) than the stayers. Academic failures are less tender-minded (16PF Factor I) and the voluntary leavers more trusting (16PF Factor L). (2) Both academic failures and voluntary leavers are markedly different from stayers on the aesthetic value of ‘Study of Values’. (3) Academic failures score below their colleagues still in training on religious values but voluntary leavers show no differences from stayers. (4) In social attitudes, both academic failures and voluntary leavers are more liberal than stayers. (5) Voluntary leavers are more theoretically minded than are the stayers, but academic failures show no significant differences from those who stay in training. (6) There is a significant relationship between the age at which an individual first thinks of becoming a nurse and his/her ability to complete training. (7) There seems to be little relationship between the age at which an individual first decides to become a nurse and his/her persistence in training. (8) Leavers seriously consider other careers before taking up nursing. Significantly more leavers than stayers thought of teaching or social work while a higher proportion of stayers than leavers considered medicine or allied hospital work as a major alternative. (9) Although the parents of most student nurses are very supportive of their children's career choice, this is somewhat less true for the leavers than for the stayers. (10) Most students choose nursing because of humanitarian motives rather than because of such influences as security, money and future prospects. Stayers are more significantly influenced by a desire to help people and other similar motives than are leavers. (11) Leavers have more serious doubts about their decision to become a nurse than do the stayers. (12) Leavers are also more worried about their happiness in the nursing profession than are the stayers. (13) A lower proportion of leavers than the stayers tate that nursing is “the only career that could really statisfy them.”.