Who is failing who? A survey exploration of the barriers & enablers to accurate decision making when nursing students' competence is below required standards.
Healthcare practice supports the achievement of programme learning outcomes for nursing students internationally. Within this context the issue of reluctance to fail nursing students, when warranted, is extensively examined within the literature with few definitive solutions emerging. Little is known about the perceived barriers that exacerbate this reluctance, or about factors that might enable and support nurses to fail students. To address this issue our study employed a non-experimental cohort study of nurses (n = 365) from two large teaching hospitals in the Republic of Ireland (ROI). Preceptors in this study clearly enjoyed their role with students, and received positive feedback from students. However, findings suggest that preceptors require more support from colleagues in providing comprehensive evidence in assessment. They also require additional training for providing negative feedback to students. A collaborative approach to competence assessment is recommended, whereby the professional burden can be borne by the team, and where students can engage in a holistic, reflective, learning experience that will ultimately improve their competence.
['Nugent|Orla|O|', 'Lydon|Christina|C|', 'Part|Siobhán|S|', 'Dennehy|Caitriona|C|', 'Fenn|Helen|H|', 'Keane|Lisa|L|', 'Prizeman|Geraldine|G|', 'Timmins|Fiona|F|']
D002983:Clinical Competence D015331:Cohort Studies D003657:Decision Making D004508:Education, Nursing, Baccalaureate D004521:Educational Measurement D005246:Feedback D006801:Humans D007494:Ireland D011231:Preceptorship D036301:Qualitative Research D013338:Students, Nursing D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
Nursing students Clinical competence Failure to fail Preceptorship Underperforming nursing student