Nursing Education and Student Retention Strategies

Nursing education faces the dual challenge of equipping students with rigorous clinical and theoretical skills while sustaining their engagement through demanding programmes. Student attrition not only represents a loss of individual aspiration but also undermines workforce planning in health systems worldwide. Contemporary strategies to improve retention encompass curriculum redesign that balances academic rigour with supportive learning, early identification of at-risk students, and bespoke pastoral or peer mentoring schemes. Integrating practice placements with academic learning in a coherent sequence fosters professional identity and confidence. Attention to psychosocial factors—including workload stress, exposure to violence in clinical environments and the quality of supervisory relationships—has led to targeted interventions in clinical training settings. Technological solutions such as e-mentoring platforms and simulation-based learning offer additional scaffolding, especially for students in geographically remote areas. Systematic approaches combine institutional policies, student support services and curriculum innovations to create a resilient and inclusive educational environment, thereby enhancing both student success and the future nursing workforce.

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Nursing Education and Student Retention Strategies publication trend

The graph below shows the total number of articles in nursing education and student retention strategies across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).

Technical terms

Attrition: The premature departure of students from an educational programme before completion.

Retention strategies: Institutional policies and practices designed to support student continuation and success.

Academic integration: The process by which students become socially and intellectually immersed in the learning community.

Psychosocial work characteristics: Aspects of clinical placements—such as workload, supervisor support and exposure to aggression—that affect student well-being and persistence.

Liminal state: A transitional phase in which students feel neither fully integrated into academic cohorts nor settled within clinical environments, often risking disengagement.

References

1. Improving success and retention of undergraduate nursing students from rural and remote Australia: A multimethod study protocol. Nurse Education in Practice (2024).
2. Factors Influencing Retention among Regional, Rural and Remote Undergraduate Nursing Students in Australia: A Systematic Review of Current Research Evidence. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (2023).
3. Psychosocial work characteristics associated with distress and intention to leave nursing education among students; A one-year follow-up study. Nurse Education Today (2021).
4. The (dis)integration of nursing students. Multiple transitions, fragmented integration and implications for retention. Tertiary Education and Management (2022).