Patricia Clayton-LeVasseur
Adventist University of Health Sciences, USA
Title: Non-tradition nursing students enrolled in a baccalaureate nursing program: A phenomenological study
Biography
Biography: Patricia Clayton-LeVasseur
Abstract
Nurses impact almost every patient receiving healthcare, yet there is a global nursing shortage which stifles the capability of providing safe and effective healthcare. Successful recruitment and retention of traditional and non-traditional pre-licensure nursing students is vital to address this global deficit. The purpose of this qualitative, phenomenological inquiry is to explore the lived experience of non-traditional student nurses who have successfully graduated from a generic baccalaureate nursing program. This qualitative inquiry is guided by Moustakas’ transcendental phenomenology, using a descriptive and heuristic approach. In-depth interviews using open-ended questions guide data collection. Data analysis followed Moustakas’ methodology. From the analysis of the data, Challenging, Autonomy with its sub-theme Altruism, Supporting, and Transforming with the sub-theme of Motivation, emerged as the themes from the lived experience of non-traditional nursing students who had successfully graduated from a baccalaureate nursing program. The findings were linked to the concepts of the Self-Determination Theory. Nursing faculty, healthcare administrators, and policy-makers should recognize and actively pursue educational supports that will facilitate the learning needs of a non-traditional nursing student.