Attrition/Retention rate at your School

[Sadala]

No need to name your institution, but I'm curious about the retention/attrition rates at other schools. My program has an extremely high NCLEX pass rate. However, the number of students who start every semester who are allowed to remain to the end of the program is only a small fraction of the students who begin the program.

We are given to understand that it would not even be possible for the majority of students to pass owing to fewer than necessary clinical placements available. In our state, I am wondering if all the licensing authorities look at is the actual NCLEX pass rate. Does anyone know how this works? I'm not concerned about myself, but I have seen talented people cut loose. It troubles me. I'm wondering if it is something that happens everywhere.

[aTOMicTom]

This is an interesting thread, to say the least. I only wish if we can't actually name schools, we could state whether it's a traditional school, private school, area of the country, etc.. I cannot believe the schools which slough off more than half the class along the line can maintain any sort of accreditation, let alone avoid a class action suit!

[springchick1, ADN, RN]

I'm entering my 4th semester in my program with 9 people. We started with 25. My school has the highest NCLEX pass rates in the surrounding area. Nobody at all in my program has managed to make an A in any of our classes so far and only a select few (1-3 people) have managed to make low B's in a couple of our classes we've taken thus far.

We are required to have a 78% as our final grade to pass. We've had people fail out of an entire class by .02% (no rounding up). Our check-offs for our lab skills (med admin, foley, etc.) must be performed perfectly in front of an instructor. If you miss a critical step you are allowed to repeat the skill one more time, should you fail again you are forced to withdraw from the class. You can reapply to the program but, obviously, many people fail out and it is very difficult to get re-admitted.

A lot o programs are like this. At my school, anything below a 75 is an F. And we have to do check offs in front of an I structor as well. It makes sense to me that if you kiss a critical step in check offs that you fail. You get another chance though. Think about it this way, of you were a patient, would you want a near taking care of you that forgot a critical step in putting a foley in? Now you have a bladder infection from that missed critical step.

They aren't doing it to be mean, they are doing it to make you a better nurse. They are making you perfect check offs because it is better and safer for the patient. You have someone's life in your hands.

[nurseprnRN, BSN, RN]

This is an interesting thread, to say the least. I only wish if we can't actually name schools, we could state whether it's a traditional school, private school, area of the country, etc.. I cannot believe the schools which slough off more than half the class along the line can maintain any sort of accreditation, let alone avoid a class action suit!

As I tried to explain, and I apologize if I wasn't clear, you can't always tell which otherwise qualified applicants are going to fail or are going to choose to leave for nonacademic reasons.

You do know, based on past experience, that the last group will probably be about 1/4 of the class in the first several weeks, and after that there will be more who can't cut it academically or functionally up to and including the last semester.

This has nothing to do with any bases for "class action suits" or loss of accreditation. Nursing school is hard for a number of reasons; a successful grad will have mastered all of them. Not everyone can.

[aTOMicTom]

I went back to read your previous comments and perhaps it was me who wasn't clear. My point is it seems to be a fine line between operating a school to educate nurses, and operating a business whose goal is to admit far more students than they could ever hope to educate, collect their tuition, and then actually educate a mere 25% of the paid class. I would hope a "school" which continued to operate under these false pretenses would be sanctioned in some way.

By the way, I loved your comment about those who quit because they didn't realize they "had to see old people naked"! I actually laughed both times I read it.

[mk3rn]

My program (ADN at a community college) was brutal. We started with 60. Only 16 graduated, and 4 were repeats who joined us along the way; only 12 of the original 60 made it. That means just 20% made it through to graduation. It was terrible...but hey, NCLEX pass rate is usually 100%. :/

[priorities2]

Well, in my program, people apply during their sophomore year of college and the nursing program only lasts for junior and senior year. So, attrition is extremely low, as most people who can't complete it have been weeded out by the prereq coursework or simply not offered admission.

[cococh15]

what school is that? maybe I should transfer to there.