Predictors of Retention of Students in an Online Nurse Practitioner Program

Online advanced practice nursing programs face multifaceted issues related to retention. A study was conducted to identify predictors of attrition in 847 students admitted to an online family nurse practitioner, adult gerontology-acute care nurse practitioner, or a certified nurse midwifery/woman's health nurse practitioner program. Attrition can be predicted with good accuracy on the basis of relatively few predictor variables. The identification of students at risk for attrition provides opportunity for early faculty support and intervention.