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Nursing student attrition is a significant concern in many countries, including the UK. Higher education institutions (HEIs) are seeking creative ways of improving retention and it is crucial to understand which support strategies encourage students to persist with their studies. This article describes a systematic review of the literature exploring nursing students' experiences and perceptions of support strategies used by HEIs to reduce attrition and improve retention. Having a sense of belonging, a connection with the university, self-confidence, self-efficacy and motivation appeared to make students more likely to stay on their course. Several support strategies appeared to enhance retention, including an automated text messaging system, an Academic, Personal and Professional Learning (APPL) support mechanism, a pastoral care support adviser service and an extracurricular student support group. Developing a holistic and multifaceted approach to retention involves working collaboratively with students to enhance the understanding of their needs.

Compassion is integral to effective nursing practice, yet there is limited empirical research exploring this concept, particularly from a professional perspective. Aim To advance understanding of compassion from a professional perspective, specifically through the perceptions of students and academics from the fields of adult, child, learning disability and mental health nursing.A constructivist grounded theory study was undertaken, and a theoretical sampling strategy was used to guide the selection of appropriate participants. A total of 12 nursing students and eight nurse academics were interviewed to explore their perceptions of compassion in nursing between January and August 2018. The interview transcripts were analysed using grounded theory techniques.Four categories were identified from the interview data: character for compassion, competence for compassion, culture for compassion, and connections for compassion. These categories were interlinked, with each having the potential to influence the implementation of humanising approaches to care, which participants perceived to be fundamental to compassion.Compassion is a complex concept that can be influenced by biological, psychological and socio-contextual factors. Further consideration of these factors is required to support nurses to facilitate compassion through humanising approaches to care. The findings of this study advance the existing evidence to inform future policy, practice, education and research.

Simulation is often used in healthcare education because it enables students to practise clinical skills in a safe environment where mistakes can occur without the risk of patient harm. Simulation can involve varying levels of fidelity (realism), ranging from low fidelity (for example, using role play) to high fidelity (for example, using sophisticated technology such as augmented or virtual reality).To investigate if a high-fidelity simulation environment improves confidence and the performance of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) in first-year undergraduate adult nursing students.This small pilot study involved a sample of 15 participants who were randomised into an intervention group (n=7) and a control group (n=8). The control group received teaching and were tested on the skill of CPR using a manikin in a medium-fidelity simulation scenario in a modified classroom environment, while the intervention group received the same teaching, testing and simulation scenario but in a high-fidelity 'immersion suite'. Quantitative data were collected using a pre-intervention and post-intervention self-report confidence questionnaire and from performance data generated by the Laerdal Medical 'Little Anne' manikin QCPR software.Overall, there were no statistically significant improvements in performance metrics for the intervention group compared with the control group. Both groups reported overall improvements in confidence regarding their knowledge and skills in managing a critically ill patient, but these results were not deemed to be statistically significant.The results of this study indicate that the use of simulation increases nursing students' confidence in undertaking CPR, but that a high-fidelity simulation environment does not necessarily improve their performance of CPR.

Recognising signs of deteriorating health in patients and responding to them appropriately are crucial nursing competencies. In acute care, failure to detect and act promptly on deterioration can lead to the patient's death. To achieve clinical competence, nursing students require training in the use of techniques for monitoring physiological observations as well as protocols that enable them to respond to deterioration. The use of early warning scores has been advocated to standardise the methods and frequency of patient monitoring in acute care settings. In 2012, the Royal College of Physicians developed the National Early Warning Score (NEWS), which was updated in 2017 and known as NEWS2. This early warning score is used in acute hospitals in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. This article explores the benefits and challenges of using NEWS2 as an educational tool in pre-registration nursing programmes to support nursing students in recognising and responding to deteriorating health.

News that the Department of Health intends to fund an additional 10,000 training places for nurses and allied health professionals is obviously welcome. But how many of these places will be for nursing students, and how will they be split across the four fields of nursing, given the government's recent announcement on bolstering mental health services?

If you are attracted to a job in a high-tech environment, surrounded by machinery, flashing lights and lots of medical drama, look away now, as this article is not for you.

Nursing students who use essay mills to buy coursework could soon face tough penalties under new government proposals.

At the end of last year, it was announced that bursaries will continue to be available to new nursing students in Wales in 2017-18, but with a sting in the tail. Under the proposals, nurses who train in Wales will be required to spend the first two years of their careers in the country. This follows the suggestion that doctors trained in England will have to 'give back' four years of service after qualifying, or buy themselves out of this commitment.

Nurses in Chicago are encouraged to study the arts to gain a better understanding of their patients. It also helps to reduce stress.

One reason Josie Gilday wanted to study nursing was the exciting opportunities it offered to work abroad.

The decision to become a nurse is often driven by a desire to help people, and many nurses are prepared to go the extra mile to support their patients. But for some, particularly those just starting out in their careers, it can be hard to know how involved to get in patients' lives.

During my clinical placement in a hospice in my first year of training, a patient with bowel cancer was admitted.

What was the nature of the CPD activity, practice-related feedback and/or event and/or experience in your practice? The article explored different learning styles and outlined some of the models that can be used to identify them. It discussed the limitations of these models, indicating that although they can be helpful in identifying a student's preferred learning style, this is not 'fixed' and might change over time. Learning is also influenced by other factors, such as culture and age.

Before I started training to be a nurse, I had no experience of caring. Other than my nephew, I'd never washed someone, nor helped them to the toilet or fed them.

Your first clinical placement as a nursing student will be an exciting experience, but it may also be somewhat overwhelming.

Nursing has changed almost beyond recognition in the past 50 years. While nurses are still expected to have a hands-on approach, they often take on duties that were once carried out by doctors, such as writing prescriptions or providing specialist care for conditions including heart disease and diabetes. As a result, training programmes have become more sophisticated, and many more nurses now hold a degree.

Education and training Nurse education will see huge changes in 2017. Most radical is the controversial end to bursaries for nursing students in England. From September, funding will come through the tuition fees and student loans system instead, a government move that led to mass protests in 2016.

I trained at a school of nursing, received a small but adequate salary each month, and had accommodation and transport for early and late shifts provided for me.

The starting point of any assignment is to understand the question asked of you, says University of Central Lancashire senior lecturer in pre-registration adult nursing Stephen Gowland-Mahon.

A recent study by Louise Hunt at Birmingham City University found that mentoring relationships that are based on unrealistic expectations can result in bullying and other manipulative behaviours from students.

When I started my nurse training, I was brimming with enthusiasm and couldn't wait to get out on the wards. However, my experience since then has been something of a rocky road.

In my second year of nurse training, I had a placement on a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) and special care baby unit. Although I was expecting this placement, as it approached I began to feel apprehensive. This is because I had been to the NICU before.

The government has no idea why nursing student attrition is rising (analysis, 23 November). There has been little research into why students drop out; what has been found is not just down to finance, but also the pressure of the course.

It is easy to rush to judgement about students who cheat in their exams or buy essays on the internet. Such activities can never be condoned and those who succumb to temptation must suffer the consequences, which can involve being removed from their courses.

During a third-year placement, a patient, who I will call Robin, was admitted to the acute mental health ward I was working on. Robin, who was in his thirties, was suicidal and in the previous 24 hours had made two attempts to take his own life. He had been transferred to the ward from the emergency department for mental health assessment and further care.

Aim To explore baccalaureate nursing students' perceptions of what makes an effective tutor in problem-based learning courses, and the influence of effective teaching on students' learning and experience. Method Students enrolled in all four years of a baccalaureate nursing programme completed online surveys (n=511) and participated in focus groups (n=19). Data were analysed and combined using content analysis. Findings The data were summarised using five themes, the '5 Ps' of effective teaching in problem-based learning. Nursing students perceived effective problem-based learning tutors to be prepared with knowledge and facilitation skills, person-centred, passionate, professional and able to prepare students for success in the nursing programme. Effective tutors adjusted their approaches to students throughout the four years of the nursing programme. Conclusion Effective teaching in problem-based learning is essential and has significant effects on nursing students' learning, motivation and experience. Important attributes, skills and strategies of effective problem-based learning tutors were identified and may be used to enhance teaching and plan professional development initiatives.

Plagiarism, or submitting unacknowledged work as your own, is by far the biggest reason nursing students face disciplinary action on preregistration nursing courses, according to an exclusive survey by Nursing Standard.

As a general nursing student the question I dreaded hearing was 'am I dying nurse?'. Thankfully I can't recall being asked it, but like many of my peers I worried about such situations, for which I felt poorly prepared.

Nurses play a vital role in helping patients understand what is happening to them, so it is important that you get into the habit of using clear communication and checking for understanding.

High numbers of students dropping out of nursing courses have been a concern in the profession for decades. But efforts to reverse the trend are now underway, with the government instructing Health Education England (HEE) to reduce 'avoidable' drop-out rates by 50% by 2017.

Drop-out rates among nursing students have been a concern for years. Nursing Standard was first to reveal the scale of the problem a decade ago, when a quarter of those who started their courses were not making it to the end. The situation has barely improved since.

Dealing with death is never easy, but it is a part of nursing that you are likely to experience on clinical placement and must gradually learn to cope with.

Qualifying as a nurse is an exciting time, but it can also be one of financial anxiety, as you swap the safety net of a bursary for the uncertainty of looking for work.

It is well recognised that mentors sometimes behave badly towards students. However, my recent study shows that some students can behave in similar ways towards their mentors, particularly when told they are not performing to the required standard. It is concerning for the profession that some of these students are using manipulative behaviours to coerce mentors into passing them.

During a second-year placement on an inpatient mental health rehabilitation unit, I observed two isolated incidents of what I felt to be poor nursing care.

On placement with a home treatment team, I went with a social worker and an interpreter to see a client with depression. The client's first language was Arabic and her English was limited, so using an interpreter enabled us to communicate with her more effectively.

Racism can be a major issue for black and minority ethnic (BME) nursing students, says Wendy Irwin, the RCN's diversity and equalities coordinator.

To provide effective care, it is essential we first protect ourselves from being overwhelmed by stress.

Danielle Tiplady says her involvement in student activism has broadened her understanding of her patients' lives: 'Now I have more of an idea of how austerity has affected them.'

While in your personal life you may choose to share your views with friends, family and strangers - and on social media - in your working life as a nurse you have a professional duty to put them to one side.

The first day on a ward in my first year was daunting and scary. I had little nursing knowledge or skills. As a result I didn't have a brilliant experience on my first placement.

Recent reports indicate a dramatic increase in the number of nursing students using university counselling services. The combined pressures of a nursing course and social and financial demands can lead to emotional and mental distress. Here's how to optimise your mental well-being.

Being a nursing student can take its toll on our well-being. Now in my third year of training, I have experienced the pressure to succeed academically and clinically.

As a third-year nursing student my final placement was with an anaesthetic team. Two months into the placement, the emergency telephone rang at 4am, with the message 'obstetric airway emergency' - a call that no nurse or midwife wants to receive.

In my final year of learning disability nursing at Queen's University Belfast, I travelled to Romania with a team of nursing students for our 4-week elective placement.

A new wave of nursing students started this month, embarking on a career in health services that faces increasing financial pressures and ongoing change.

Many mature students with valuable transferable life skills will no longer be able to train to be a nurse as accruing a large debt later in life is not an option for those who are running a home and raising children.

Nurses face many problems in the workplace on a daily basis, so the ability to solve or overcome them is essential to the job. If you are a nursing student and feel you lack problem-solving skills, what kind of help can you get?

As you progress through your placements, you will witness the extremes of the human condition.

On my first mental health placement, a tragic incident resulted in the death of a service user. With almost 5 years' experience as a support worker, this was something I hadn't faced before.