Glossary and Reading List

Clinical Failure: The inability of a clinical nursing student to meet the course outcomes at a level of independence sufficient enough to permit progression in the program (Craven, 2015; Gallant et al., 2006).

Fitness to Practice: All the qualities and capabilities of an individual relevant to their practice as a nurse, including but not limited to freedom from any cognitive, physical, psychological, or emotional condition and dependence on alcohol or drugs that impairs their ability to practice nursing (Canadian Nurses Association [CNA], 2017).

Remediation, Remedial activities: The provision of additional or supplemental teaching activities in order to facilitate improved performance in student deficit areas (Craven, 2015; Gallant et al., 2006)

Underperforming student: A nursing student who had significant deficits in knowledge, applying knowledge, psychomotor skills, interpersonal skills, or attitude that may jeopardize patient safety (Craven, 2015; Duffy, 2003; Luhanga et al, 2008; Scanlan & Chernomas, 2016).

Unsafe practice: Behaviours that place the client or staff in physical or emotional jeopardy, including the risk of physical harm, anxiety, or distress. Unsafe clinical practice is a singular occurrence or a pattern of behaviours involving unacceptable risk (Scanlan et al., 2001 as cited in Scanlan & Chernomas, 2016).

Reading List 

Unsafe, unsuccessful, or underperformance

Killam, L., Montgomery, P., Luhanga, F., Adamic, P., & Carter, L. (2010b). Views on  unsafe nursing student in clinical learning. International Journal of Nursing Education Scholarship, 7, Article36. https://doi.org/10.2202/1548-923X.2026 

Lewallen, L., & DeBrew, J. (2012). Successful and unsuccessful clinical nursing students. Journal of Nursing Education, 51(7), 389-295. https://doi.org/ 10.3928/01484834-20120427-01

Scanlan, J. M., & Chernomas, W. M. (2016). Failing clinical practice & the unsafe student: A new perspective. International journal of nursing education scholarship, 13(1), https://doi.org/10.1515/ijnes-2016-0021 

Failing-to-Fail

Duffy, K. (2013). Deciding to fail: Nurse mentors’ experiences of managing a failed  practice assessment. The Journal of Practice Teaching and Learning, 11(3). https://doi.org/10.1921/jpts.v11i3.271   

Hughes, L., Mitchell, M., & Johnston, A.  (2019) Just how bad does it have to be?  Industry and academic assessors experience of failing to fail—A descriptive study. Nurse Education Today, 76 ,206–215. https://doi.org/ 10.1016/j.nedt.2019.02.011 

Dealing with underperformance

Boileau, E., St-Onge, C., & Audetat, M. (2017). Is there a way fo.r clinical teachers to assist struggling learners? A synthetic review of the literature. Advances in Medical Education and Practice, 8, 89-97. https://doi.org/10.2147/AMEP.S123410  

Brown, Y., Neudorf, K., Poitras, C., & Rodger, K. (2007). Unsafe student clinical performance calls for a systematic approach. Canadian Nurse, 103(3), 29-32. 

Craven, M. (2015). Processes used by nursing faculty when working with underperforming students in the clinical area: A theoretical model derived from grounded theory. [Unublished doctoral dissertation]. Indiana Univsersity-Perdue University Indianapolis. http://hdl.handle.net/1805/7345 

El Hussein, M., & Fast, O. (2020). Gut feeling: A grounded theory study to identify clinical educator’ reasoning processes in putting students on a learning contract. Journal of Clinical Nursing, 29,75–84. https://doi.org/10.1111/jocn.15058 

Luhanga, F., Yonge, O., & Myrick, F. (2008). Strategies for precepting the unsafe student. Journal for Nurses in Staff Development, 24(5), 214-219. https://doi.org/10.1097/01.NND.0000320693.08888.30 

Teeter, M. (2005). Formula for success: Addressing unsatisfactory clinical performance. Nurse Educator, 30(3), 91-92. https://doi.org/ 10.1097/00006223-200505000-00002 

Zuzelo, P. (2000) Clinical probation: Supporting the at-risk student. Nurse Educator,  25(5), 216-218 

Remediation

Custer, N., (2016). Remediation 101: Strategies for nurse educators. Teaching and  Learning in Nursing, 11(4), 166–170. https://doi.org/ 10.1016/j.teln.2016.05.006 

Gallant, M., MacDonald, J., & Smith Higuci, K. (2006). A remediation process for  nursing students at risk of failure. Nurse Educator, 31(5), 223-227. https://doi.org/10.1097/00006223-200609000-00010