clinical failure

[susi_q]

What kind of evaluation tool do you use for clinicals? We are simply pass/fail, with defined objectives - safety, pathophys understanding, etc.

In the last couple sections a colleague and I have run into the problem of having a student who "technically" passed - knew how to do an assessment, did enough paperwork, etc. But has been misleading/deceptive about some issues (attendance at alternate experiences, for one thing), asking for excessive breaks - sometimes taking them without asking, complaining attitude, etc. Our lead instructor is issuing verbal warnings because either it's our word against hers, or because it is a personality issue instead of a defined objective. (But in this case it is clearly defined that students may miss and makeup only 2 clinicals/semester - this student missed 4 - made up only 1 - and only got a verbal) I'm frustrated - if they are unprofessional in this setting, play loose with the truth, how is that going to reflect well on the program, and how will they survive on the job anyway.

Maybe I just need to vent - but if anyone has a suggestion of how to put this kind of behavior into an objective tool that can be used fairly, I would sure appreciate it.

[jef]

In our evaluation form, there is a whole section for professional development. This includes a statement "conducts self in a professional manner at all times, eg demeanor, dress, punctuality, language, confidentiality." Another statement is "shows receptivity to guidance, supervision and constructive criticism." I have failed students at mid-semester for non-professional behavior such as you described. A letter goes into their student file. We then write a remediation plan for improvement, the more specific the better. For example, every remaining assignment must be in on time, no more lateness, etc... I think that deception and lying certainly fall under professional behavior and should not be tolerated. The more you have in writing, the better for backing up clinical failures. Hope this helps!

[susi_q]

Thanks. I'm going to work with the powers that be to see if we can get the eval tool tweeked to include a bit more in the way of specifics such as you mentioned. Appreciate the input.