Methods: A two-year multi-site, longitudinal mixed-methods study of students entering an ADN program within a Midwestern state’s technical college system was launched. Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval was obtained and protocols regarding confidentiality and informed consent were adhered to. In addition to completing the Grit Assessment Instrument at the time of admission, some of the participants who were unsuccessful while in their ADN program volunteered to be interviewed over the phone. All interviews (N=15) were audio recorded and then transcribed by a professional transcription service. A semi-structured interview guide was used during each interview with follow up probing questions to understand their experience. During and after each interview the researcher wrote field notes and reflective journaling regarding the interviews to provide a written audit trail. Interviews were analyzed by the research team using thematic analysis. Three key themes with exemplars will be presented in this poster.
Results: Three key themes with exemplars were found: 1) Unrealistic Expectations of Workload, 2) The Burden of Unanticipated Personal Issues, 3) Fundamentals and Thinking Like a Nurse as a Barrier to Success. Each theme will be correlated back to known qualities of Grit. Finally, implications from this ongoing work for program admissions processes as well as nursing faculty will be presented.
Conclusion: Grit, defined as “perseverance and passion for long-term goals”, encompasses effort over time despite adversity and setbacks, and sustained interest in achieving goals over time (Duckworth, 2016). Grit is associated with happiness, persistence, self-control, performance in competitions (Duckworth), higher grade point averages, and higher educational attainment (Dixson, Roberson, & Worrell, 2017). A study by Author A and Author B (2019) suggests the concept of grit may contribute to academic success and persistence towards obtaining a nursing degree among Black nursing students. Findings from that study demonstrated that characteristics of grit including perseverance, passion for long-term goals, effort over time irrespective of setbacks, and maintained interest in achieving goals were evident in the participant’s success toward achieving their nursing degree (Author A & Author B). Grit may be able to answer the question that continuously challenges nursing program admission decision making processes of who will be successful?