- The nursing school dropout rate is significant. It is influenced by several factors, most of which you can control when you know how to prepare.
- Some of the common reasons nurses drop out of nursing school include poor time management skills, overwhelming stress, bad study habits, and difficulty taking the new NCLEX-style questions on exams.
- Experienced nurses recommend addressing these challenges head-on to develop strategies that raise your potential success to graduate and pass the NCLEX.
For the 2020-2021 school year, the dropout rate for nursing schools in California hovered near 10%. Some schools reported rates as high as 39% and others reported a 0% attrition rate. These rates are an estimate of your potential to graduate if you are admitted to the program.
The dropout rate is influenced by several factors, most of which you can control when you know how to prepare. Review the reasons nurses drop out and tips to avoid these pitfalls shared by two nurses.
Common Reasons Students Drop Out of Nursing School
If you're concerned about what to expect during your first year of nursing school, understanding the common reasons why students drop out can help you avoid making these mistakes and pass the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX).
Poor Time Management
There is no doubt that nursing school is challenging. Nancy Mitchell, RN, has over 37 years of experience in geriatric nursing care, including as a director of nursing. She notes that many nurses choose the profession as a cheaper alternative to medical school.
Yet, while less expensive than medical school, a nursing program can be challenging and time-consuming. Nurses must have a strong background in physiology and medicine to recognize when a physician's orders are questionable. To achieve this foundation requires hours of study and clinical experience.
Graduating from a nursing program requires students to pay close attention to their time management skills. They must finish coursework, study for exams, complete clinical experiences, and meet their personal responsibilities.
Bad Study Habits
The study habits that served you well in high school may not be adequate study habits for nursing school. Students shouldn't wait until the last minute to complete assignments or read the required material.
Other bad study habits include not using a study plan, getting distracted by social media or friends, cramming for tests the night before, and not asking for help when you need it. In high school, you may have studied to memorize for a test, but in your nursing program, you must study to understand the material to pass NCLEX-type test questions.
Ignoring Self-Care
Elizabeth Lubin, RN, has worked in many healthcare settings, including correctional centers. She stresses the need to look after yourself and pay attention to self-care. When you ignore caring for yourself, you increase the risk of experiencing nurse burnout.
Burnout can make you feel helpless, increase the risk you'll drop out of nursing school, and negatively impact your immune system. It is crucial to care for your mental and physical health, including selecting the right backpack for nurses or scrubs for nurses that make you feel good. When you don't care for yourself, it reduces your productivity and can trigger mental and emotional distress.
Mitchell agrees. "The irony of healthcare is that your mental and physical health tend to suffer through your passion to help others with their well-being," she says.
Feeling Overwhelmed
It's not uncommon for nursing students to feel overwhelmed by the challenges of a nursing program. It's a significant reason why students drop out of nursing school. Lubin shares her struggles as a mother of five who entered nursing school after her children were born.
"Every week, I would have to attend class twice a week, complete a 12-hour clinical in a hospital setting, complete group discussions, as well as demonstrate skills I learned. Not to mention preparing for exams every 2-3 weeks," she says. "It became overwhelming and sometimes dropping out seemed like the best option."
Convert Raw Information Into Problem-Solving
The National Council of State Boards of Nursing has planned changes on the NCLEX for spring 2023. Many nursing programs have altered their test questions in anticipation of these changes to help students adjust and prevent them from failing the NCLEX.
The questions are different from the old style of questions that asked students to just repeat information. This has created a significant challenge for some students.
Family Responsibilities
The stability of the nursing profession and the rising nursing shortage has increased the interest of adult students or second-degree students who want to switch to nursing. These students often have started their families, or they are caring for elderly parents or guardians.
The demands of nursing school do not stop with family responsibilities. Some students find they cannot juggle the demands of both and consider dropping out of nursing school.
How to Avoid Failing/Dropping Out of Nursing School
Nursing school can be costly and time-consuming. Dropping out of nursing school can create a void in your finances, leaving you with a partial education you can't use to its full potential. Lubin and Mitchell recommend these tips to help students be successful at nursing school.
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Source
Accreditation, attrition, and on time completion rates. (2022). https://www.rn.ca.gov/education/attrition.shtml
