Question 1

In working with a challenging student situation the clinical nursing instructor should

Accepted Answer

attempt to diagnose what might be the underlying factors prompting the student's behavior so that these can be addressed. Most behavioral problems can be handled by the clinical nursing instructor; referral to the program coordinator should be reserved for behavior that might lead to a student's failure in the clinical component of the course or could be grounds for dismissal from the program. Behavior that interferes with the instructional process needs to be investigated rather than ignored. Communications with the student regarding her behavior should be conducted in private. The instructor should not counsel a student to withdraw from the program nor make assumptions about the meaning of her behavior.

Question 2

Dishonest student behaviors that may be encountered in the course of clinical instruction include

Accepted Answer

all of these.

Question 3

You have assigned Susan to care for a 28-year-old male who was severely burned in a car accident and is undergoing reconstructive surgery. When you enter the patient's room to check on Susan's progress in completing the patient's morning care, Susan is sitting on the patient's bed and kissing him. The patient seems to be actively engaged in the kiss. Which of the following would be your most appropriate response to this situation?

Accepted Answer

Call Susan out of the room, taking her to a private conference area to discuss the behavior you witnessed and why it was inappropriate. Inappropriate behavior needs to be interrupted and dealt with immediately but communications with the student need to be done in private.

Question 4

The clinical nursing instructor should exercise caution when she suspects that a student may have a learning disability. Her best approach is to

Accepted Answer

discuss her observations with the student to elicit information concerning any difficulties she encounters in learning so that these can be addressed. Students with suspected learning disabilities should be counseled to seek assistance in accommodating the disability. The results of any testing that is done should remain confidential to only the student unless she decides to share these with the instructor. Once the disability is accommodated, the student should be given the same level of assignment as other students in the clinical group.

Question 5

The accommodation most frequently needed by a student with a physical disability is

Accepted Answer

more time to complete assignments. Assigning a nursing assistant to complete the physical aspects of the student's patient assignment may or may not be necessary. The student with a physical disability is able to accomplish the intellectual work necessary to plan nursing care activities. Confining clinical work to off-unit assignments deprives this student of important learning opportunities.

Question 6

A student in your clinical group seems very lethargic during pre-conference. You suspect she may have a hangover, since binge drinking has been a big problem on campus this year. When you talk with the student privately she tells you that she has recently been given a prescription for Xanax for her anxiety and depression. What action, if any, should you take regarding the student?

Accepted Answer

Require the student to remain off the unit until side effects of the medication are better controlled, providing for an alternate assignment. The clinical nursing instructor should not make assumptions about the reasons for a student's behavior nor should she challenge the student to reveal health information about herself. The impaired student must be removed from the clinical area to protect patient safety, even if the impairment is due to a prescribed medication.

Question 7

A student's defiant or uncivil behavior can quickly move into violence if not managed properly at the outset. Which of the following is the most appropriate response by the clinical nursing instructor?

Accepted Answer

None of the above. While humor can sometimes defuse a situation, the clinical nursing instructor should take the student's behavior seriously. Attempting to explain why you criticized a student's performance is more likely to further enrage the student, who should receive this information at a later time. Defiant or uncivil behavior must be addressed; it cannot be ignored. Speaking in a tone louder than the student's will only serve to escalate the situation.

Question 8

One of the students in your group is a 36 year-old male who is returning to the nursing program after a hiatus of five years due to a family situation. He tells you that he doesn't think he should have to repeat this clinical since he passed this clinical when he was in the program previously. What is the best way to manage this student's assignments?

Accepted Answer

Make assignments that are equivalent to those of other students, holding him to the same standards as others. Any student who is repeating a course should be held to the same standards as other students and expected to complete equivalent work to avoid a claim of discriminatory treatment. Without assessing the student's actual abilities, the instructor should not recruit him as a peer instructor.

Question 9

The student from another culture presents a challenge to the clinical nursing instructor who must

Accepted Answer

avoid making assumptions about the meaning of the student's non-verbal behavior. The student from another culture may or may not have language issues, but should not require an interpreter. The clinical nursing instructor should collaborate with the student to find approaches to instruction that will work for her. It is not necessary to accommodate this student by providing extra time to complete assignments.

Question 10

Which of the following approaches to teaching in the clinical area is likely to be successful when working with the student for whom English is a second language?

Accepted Answer

both a and b. The student for whom English is a second language should be evaluated in the same way as other students in the clinical group.

Quiz 16: Strategies for Working With Special Student Situations