Chapter 2: Being a nursing student
Case study: Acting professionally
During the second week of their nursing course, whilst travelling home on the bus Susie and Ellen discuss the last lecture of the day, which they found very boring and irrelevant. They really couldn’t understand why they needed to listen to what Kate Brown, the lecturer, was saying, and they didn’t think she was a very good teacher. When they get home they continue their discussion on Facebook, as they want to find out what other students on their course think, with Susie posting ‘Kate Brown has to be the most boring lecturer so far – she doesn’t even seem to know what she is talking about’, and Ellen adds, ‘have you seen her shoes? They are so old fashioned they should be in a museum!!’
Three days later Susie and Ellen both receive letters requesting them to attend a formal meeting with the Head of their School.
- What do you think is likely to be the reason for this request?
Susie and Ellen have been asked to attend a formal meeting with the Head of their School because they have failed to uphold the NMC Standards on professional conduct and confidentiality. Their Facebook postings do not treat the lecturer in question with dignity or respect and they are not upholding the reputation of their profession by addressing this issue through Facebook. In addition to this, in naming the lecturer they are breaching confidentiality.
All of these issues are very serious. It is likely that the Head of School will consider their actions in light of the NMC Fitness to practise regulations, questioning whether they are both fit to remain on the course. It is possible that, as Susie and Ellen are only at the very start of their nursing course, they may be treated leniently, and could be given a formal warning but allowed to remain on the course as long as they apologise to the lecturer in question and learn from this experience. If they had been more experienced nursing students, further on in year one or years two or three, acting in this manner may well have resulted in them being removed from the course.
