1 in 5 Nursing Students Drops Out. Here's How Some Faculty Are Responding.

"There's a lot of math in nursing, medication math, that the students really struggle with," says Anne W., a Clinical Assistant Professor of Nursing. "And so I wind up putting in a lot of extra time to tutor them in basic math skills. And I don't mind, but, you know, I've got 52 students. I can't meet with every single one of them individually."

Anne's frustration isn't unique. Across nursing and health sciences programs, faculty are watching students disappear. Sometimes it happens suddenly - a student stops showing up, stops submitting assignments. More often, it's gradual: missed deadlines, declining quiz scores, growing silence in class discussions.

The statistics tell a sobering story. The average dropout rate for nursing programs is approximately 20% - that's 1 in 5 students who never make it to graduation. Some baccalaureate programs report graduation rates below 50%. Think about that: in some cohorts, half the students who start never finish.

We've spoken with nursing faculty, retention specialists, and students navigating these challenges. Their insights reveal both the depth of the crisis and the creative ways educators are responding.

It's Not About "Cutting It"

The crisis is particulraly hard because most of these students have what it takes to succeed. They're not dropping out because they lack intelligence or drive.

Take Isabella, a physical therapy student. "Chemistry was excruciating," she remembers. "I learned almost nothing from chemistry in high school, so college chemistry was my first introduction to formal chemistry ever. It felt like I had to work twice as hard as my peers just to catch up."

Isabella stayed up late into the evening doing practice questions until she passed out. She pushed through - but that constant struggle took its toll. "Honestly, any type of course struggle at all during my learning experience was disheartening. There were moments when I wondered if I was really cut out for the program."

The pandemic made everything worse. An entire generation of students missed foundational STEM learning - the basics they need before they can tackle college-level chemistry, biology, and anatomy. They arrive with dreams of becoming nurses, physical therapists, healthcare professionals. But they're starting from behind, and every misstep deepens their self-doubt.

As R.H., a Nursing Retention Specialist, puts it: "So many systems in place are reactive. A student fails a test, and then we try to intervene. But by that point, they're already discouraged. We need to identify early who's struggling and support them before they fail."

You Can't Fix Everything (And That's Okay)

Student success depends on factors far beyond any classroom: financial pressures, family obligations, health challenges, unequal academic preparation. Your role is to provide excellent instruction and appropriate support - not to solve every barrier a student faces.

That said, small strategic actions can catch students before they fall too far behind. You don't need heroic effort. Sustainable support matters more than burning yourself out trying to save everyone.

Here are three things faculty across nursing and health sciences programs are doing to spot struggle early - before students reach crisis.

Three Small Steps That Make a Difference

1. Set Up Your Early Warning System

What faculty are doing: They're configuring their LMS to send automatic notifications when students miss assignments or score below 70%.

Canvas users are enabling "Analytics" and setting up grade alerts. Blackboard users are using the "Retention Center" dashboard. Faculty without robust LMS systems are creating simple spreadsheets to track weekly engagement.

Why it helps: LMS data can show academic struggle long before a student officially withdraws - but it's easy to miss when you're stretched thin. Automatic alerts help you spot trouble early, when intervention actually works.

Time investment: 30 minutes of one-time setup

2. Send One Proactive Check-In

What faculty are doing: When they get an alert about a missed assignment or low quiz score, they're sending a brief, caring email. Here's a template some are using:

"Hi [Student Name], I noticed you missed [assignment] / had challenges with [quiz]. I know college can be overwhelming - is there anything I can do to help clarify course expectations or connect you with support? My office hours are [times], or we can set up a brief call."

Why it helps: Students report that early faculty outreach makes them feel "seen" and more likely to seek help before falling behind. Research shows that prompt outreach based on low participation or early disengagement is linked to improved student persistence, especially among first-generation and high-risk learners.

Time investment: 5 minutes per student who needs it

3. Create a One-Page Resource Map

What faculty are doing: They're creating a simple document listing campus support services with direct contact info - academic success centers, counseling services, financial aid offices, tutoring centers. They're posting it in their LMS, adding it to syllabi, and referencing it during the first week of class.

Why it helps: "If I don't have the answer, I try to find someone who does," says R.H., the Nursing Retention Specialist. "I'm always connecting students to resources, whether it's counseling, tutoring, career services, or help for basic needs, because often they don't know those services exist or how to get to them."

Qualitative studies in nursing retention repeatedly emphasize that students often don't access support services unless faculty introduce or direct them, and such referrals significantly increase follow-through.

Time investment: An hour to create, then it's done

What Comes Next

How do you choose tools that actually bridge foundational gaps without adding to your workload? Faculty are trying different approaches - from flexible due dates that don't sacrifice rigor, to virtual labs like Labster that let students practice chemistry and A&P concepts in a safe, self-paced environment. After using Labster, 90% of learners report feeling more confident in their science skills.

Faculty are trying different approaches to these questions - from flexible due dates that don't sacrifice rigor, to evidence-based virtual labs that give students safe space to practice and fail. Some strategies work better than others. Some require institutional buy-in. All of them recognize that sustainable support matters more than heroic individual effort.

We've gathered insights from nursing faculty, retention specialists, and program directors about what's working in their programs. The conversations reveal both quick wins and longer-term strategies for supporting students without burning yourself out.

Want the complete framework? Download our Faculty Guide for Supporting At-Risk Nursing and Health Sciences Students. You'll get four evidence-based strategies with real faculty perspectives, implementation tips, and printable resources you can share with your department - including equity-focused syllabus review checklists and LMS setup guides.