Care to Persist: A Campaign to Ensure Nursing Student Success During A Time of Crisis

Abstract

Student persistence is crucial for preparing nurses to meet the demands of an ever-changing health care environment. The RN to BSN Online Degree Completion Option at a large for-profit university implemented the Care to Persist campaign in 2018 to support student persistence. This campaign evolved during the COVID-19 pandemic and has been a critical component in ensuring students' success. First-term session-to-session persistence rates improved from 81.2 percent in May 2019 to 85.2 percent in May 2021. The campaign has been a beneficial strategy to care for students and ensure academic progression both before and during the pandemic.