Development and Psychometric Evaluation of the Professional Integration Factors Retention Strategies Survey.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

Nursing students experience higher attrition rates than average college students due to the academic rigor of nursing programs. This study examined psychometric properties of the Professional Integration Factors Retention Strategies Survey (PIF-RSS), which measured constructs of faculty advisement and helpfulness, professional events, memberships, encouragement by friends in class, peer mentoring-tutoring, and enrichment programs.

METHODS

The PIF-RSS survey was distributed to deans, directors, and program coordinators of traditional Bachelor's in Nursing programs.

RESULTS

Following exploratory factor analysis, 47 items aligned within a 5-factor solution were retained. Reliability of the total instrument was .90.

CONCLUSIONS

This study provides preliminary evidence of the psychometric properties of the PIF-RSS instrument. Additional studies are recommended to further examine instrument psychometric properties for different program types and populations.