Professional Experience Placement

Debrew and Lewallen (2013) investigated the complex issue of evaluating progress of learners in the workplace using a critical incident technique. The authors describe the factors that are important for clinical evaluation and the benefits of reflective practice. Clinical supervisors are the gatekeepers of of the profession. These authors discuss the difficulty supervisors and educators go through to to make decisions on whether to pass or deem a student unsatisfactory in their progression within the professional experience environment. The process is multi factorial, where data is collected from many sources before a decision is made. There are opportunities for incongruency  as students are evaluated on their professional behaviour as well as clinical skills. Additionally, there is learning time and evaluation time which sometimes due to length of placement or staffing can become blurred.

Debrew and Lawallen (2013) undertook a study to evaluate the decision-making processes with student progression. They found there were a number of student factors including poor communication, unsafe medication administration, unable to prioritise and  unpreparedness that impacted on student progress. This study also explored supervisor or educator factors about failing students. They reported the emotions associated with failing a student were complex. Fear, anxiety, lack of confidence were reported. Cultural differences and students not wanting to be nurses were also cited. Supervisors reported the difficulties with making the decision to fail students. The authors concluded that a clear perspective on clinical evolution could be of benefit to staff and students as well as the patients or clients receiving care.

This university has a number of resources to guide supervisors in the decision-making progress. They can be found on the professional experience web pages. The resources include a decision-making framework for students at risk and there are guides to enable student support in practice. These resources can be found on the website too.

If you have and suggestions or comments about resources to assist in decision-making about student progression you are welcome to post them here. Join us at @PEPCommunity.