27e. Keep student nurses nursing
Matter for discussion submitted by Charles Sloan
That this meeting of RCN Congress discusses the causes of student nurse attrition and potential solutions to address this
Report on this discussion
An emergency item on student attrition was discussed at Wednesday's Congress. Charlie Sloan, ANS executive member, said that a quarter of nursing students leave training before qualification. He called for decisive action, a comprehensive study on why this is happening and to see what can be done to protect future nurses.
Paula Hancock of the University of Sheffield said that experience shows that students stay if they are supported and cared for. Students should only be accepted on to courses if they have the ability to succeed, should be able to engage with experienced teachers and practitioners rather than relying on virtual learning, and should not have to travel far or be given practice placements at unsocial hours.
Many delegates spoke of the financial pressures that nursing students face and recognised that many nursing students are mature students with families and other commitments. Katie Anderson also highlighted the need to keep nurses nursing after qualification.
Maura Buchanan, RCN President, asked for fellow nurses to look at what they themselves could do to retain nursing students. She called for managers to allow mentors the time to mentor as this is a vitally important part of nursing student development.