The attrition of nursing students, before the end of the course, is a problem for at least sixty years old, which covers all countries of the world. Many studies have been conducted on this topic, aimed to investigate the reasons for this phenomenon, however, the high dropout rates continue to be a cause for concern, because we are far from finding a solution to the problem. The purpose of this investigation was to analyze the phenomenon of within the two degree
courses in Nursing, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, with the aim to identify the following strategies to counteract the loss of future professionals. Methods: Structured telephone interviews were administered to students who have formally renounced studies between 01/01/2005 and 31/12/2009. The interviews were carried out during the period between July and October 2010 and were conducted according to a questionnaire consisting of 19 closed questions. Results: Out of a total of 94 students contacted, 59 telephone interviews were carried out (62.7%); 6 students (6.3%) refused the interview, while the remaining 31% has proved unreachable. The factors related to the motivation to leave the course, are divided into subjective factors and structural factors, and cover both the theoretical part of the course, the training in addition to environmental elements. Among the structural factors such as motivation of the withdrawal, the 28.8% of respondents claimed to have had learning problems in some aspects, while 23.8% said they had experienced difficulties in the clinical internship. Respondents then indicated as causes of attrition of the study, the disillusionment with the nursing profession (32.8%) and the lack of correspondence between what are the expectations and the reality that a student lives (14%)
