Nonacademic Factors That Influence Nontraditional Nursing Student Retention.

The purpose of this study is to identify the most supportive and restrictive factors contributing to students' ability to persist through nursing program course completion as perceived by 59 nontraditional students enrolled in a nursing associate degree program. The Student Perception Appraisal-Revised tool was used. Results include that encouragement by friends within school is the top supportive factor, while financial status was found to be the most restrictive factor. Students' perceptions of why they are not successful in staying in school may help nurse educators to plan and implement changes for improvement based on changing student needs.