Abstract
Nursing is a pivotal profession within the health sciences fraternity. Therefore, the continuous and adequate recruitment and retention of undergraduate millennial nursing students who will enter the profession is critical. Recently, there has been a notable decline in the retention of undergraduate millennial nursing students, primarily due to the demanding nursing curriculum, poor working conditions, poor hospital infrastructure, and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. The purpose of this study was to determine the value of nursing leaders’ support and how it will benefit and improve the retention of undergraduate millennial nursing students in various higher education institutions within Gauteng.
A quantitative research design, employing a cross-sectional, comparative and descriptive method, was utilised in this study. The population comprised undergraduate millennial nursing students enrolled at higher education institutions in Gauteng, South Africa. Convenience sampling was employed. A questionnaire was developed by a statistician and the researcher to collect data, which included sections on participants’ background (Section A), leadership in the higher education institution’s Department of Nursing (Section B), selected aspects of the programme (Section C), performance and retention (Section D), and programme satisfaction (Section E).
Descriptive and inferential statistics were utilised to analyse the collected data. The researcher also adhered to ethical considerations throughout the study, including the principles of justice, autonomy, beneficence and non-maleficence. The research findings were used to formulate recommendations to develop academically and clinically competent undergraduate millennial nursing students.