Closing the Revolving Door: An Evidencebased Success Story

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Closing the Revolving Door An Evidence-based
Success Story

• Lisa Gerow RN, MSN
• Assistant Professor, Nursing
• Chairperson, Learning Enhancement Committee
• Ann Anthony RN, MSN
• Associate Dean, Nursing

The Future of Caring is TCC Nursing
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Our Story Promoting Student Success

• The challenge
• Growth Retention
• Our students
• Our Process
• The Evidence
• Our Options
• The Steps
• Our Results

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The Challenge

• Profound and growing nursing shortage
• Oklahoma ranks 46th in RNs per capita
• Additional 1100 RNs needed annually to meet
  current demand
• Nationally 1 Million needed by 2015 (11/14/05
  www.nurses.com)
• The shortage is likely to increase due to
• Decreasing labor pool reduced birthrates and
  aging workforce
• Intensity of services have increased demand for
  RNs in healthcare

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The Demand

• Graduate MORE nurses !!!

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Who are our students?

• Typical TCC Nursing Student
• Raising a child
• Primary wage earner
• Seeking new career
• Nursing courses require 4-8 hours on campus, up
  to 16 hours of clinical 20 hours of study
  prep each week
• Challenge
• balancing work, family, school

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How well are we meeting the demand?

• Enrollment in nursing is increasing
• Fall 03 233
• Fall 04 240
• Fall 05 281
• Lack of space for qualified applicants

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If we lack space to add students,

• We must retain graduate those we accept
• Retention within the program
• AY00 AY03 67 (average)

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The Evidence Why do we lose students?

• 2001 Attrition Study
• Purpose Determine any patterns of admission
  criteria of students who have done poorly in the
  program
• Process
• Record review
• How did that student get into the program in the
  first place?

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The Evidence Why do we lose students?

• Findings
• Two groups of students n20
• GPA gt 3.0 with lt 40 college credits (30)
• GPA gt 2.9 with gt 40 college credits (70)
• Few similarities within higher GPA group
• Focused on lower GPA group

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The Evidence Why do we lose Students?

• Lower GPA Group
• GPAs below TCC Nursing admission criteria (2.5)
• Avg GPA 2.5
• Multiple courses repeated
• Avg credits attempted 70
• Science courses repeated 2.6 (avg)
• Algebra CPTs below TCC standard 77
• Avg. Alg CPT 42

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The Options Select Retain
Select the Right Students
Help them succeed Stay in to graduate!!
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The Options Select Retain

• Better selection Admission Criteria
• Focused on criteria
• Changed process
• Rank applicants based on point system,
• Weighted points
• GPA
• Science gt nonscience courses
• PCT vs. CNA
• Perseverance
• Retain - Identify Vulnerable Students Help Them!

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Goal Retain Vulnerable Students

• Faculty Task Force
• Brainstormed ideas
• Impaired student policy
• Proposed
• Learning Enhancement Committee
• LE Facilitator Role
• Standardized testing external benchmarking
• Faculty development

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Step 1 Learning Enhancement Committee

• Members Nursing Faculty, Nursing Allied
  Health Counselor
• Goals
• Identify students resources
• Offer remediation
• Interface with Counselor (Nursing Allied Health
  Counselor)
• Promote faculty awareness

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LEC works closely with Admissions Committee
Provisional Admissions
Nursing Admissions Committee
Learning Enhancement Committee
At Risk Students
Readmission/Reentry
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Step 2 LE Rep Role

• Volunteer, no additional nonteaching
  responsibilities
• Accepts referrals
• Previous performance clinical classroom
• Case finding Early Warning System
• Entrance testing
• Course test scores
• Behavioral issues
• Develop learning prescription
• Exit interview re-entry guidance

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Step 3 LE Rep Outcomes

• One-to-one contact with nursing faculty
• Promotes dialogue, surfaces issues
• Thinking process vs. personal/family distractions
• Behavioral checklist measure of progress
• Promotes communication with support services
• Earlier referrals to counseling
• LER ltgt Counselor ltgt dSRC

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Results - Program

• Retention within the program is increasing
• AY00 AY03 67 (average)
• AY 04 80
• AY 05 88
• NCLEX Pass Rate is UP 88 93

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Results Spring 2004 Level 2 Student Referrals
Outcomes
Academic Issues
75 Graduation Rate
82 Retention Rate
Behavioral/ Personal Issues


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Summary of Results

• 28 Referrals to Level 2 LEC
• 21 graduated
• 2 currently enrolled
• 4 failed, ineligible for readmission
• 1 lost to follow-up

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Examples Anecdotes

• Learning Prescriptions
• Success stories

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Conclusions Lessons Learned

• At risk students can be identified
• Remediation materials resources must be
  available
• Faculty involvement is essential