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Administrative structures and procedures dealing with clinical failure of students in Canadian nursing programs

University of British Columbia

There has been a growing concern raised by nurse educators regarding the potential for litigation by nursing students who are dissatisfied with educators' appraisal of these students' clinical performance. A descriptive survey using a cross-sectional design was used to assess the relationships between institutional policies and procedures related to student clinical evaluation practices and the incidence of student grievances and appeals of faculty decisions. Population for this survey was diploma and basic baccalaureate nursing programs in Canada (N=94). The response rate to this survey was 86.2% (81/94 programs). Data were obtained using two self-developed questionnaires which tested for support of two prototypic models derived from literature reviewed. Variables studied included the decision-makers' location (educational institution, hospital), their role or position, their functions, and the guidelines under which they performed student evaluations. Also studied were mechanisms available to students to question the decision. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics. Reliability of the data from the administrative practices instrument was assessed using contingency tables which compared the program's reported data to its written policies and procedures. The level of agreement was approximately .50 which was considered adequate bearing in mind the frequent discrepancies between policies and procedures in most institutions.. There were five significiant findings, these being: (1) there exists a lack of faculty evaluation standards when evaluating students in clinical settings, (2) in one-third of the programs a clinical instructor alone makes a student's clinical decision, (3) it appears that in some programs the same members serve on more than one level of review panels, (4) procedures employed in the conducting of informal and formal hearings are rarely written, and (5) grievance and appeal panels tend to alter professional judgments of nurse faculty even though panel members frequently are non-nurses.

Text

2011-03-10

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http://hdl.handle.net/2429/32300

Educational Studies

University of British Columbia

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