What standard of care applies to the student nurse’s conduct when prov

What standard of care applies to the student nurse’s conduct when providing care normally per-formed by a registered nurse (RN)?

1. The same standard of care as an RN
2. A standard of care of an unlicensed person
3. No special standard of care because her faculty member is responsible for her conduct
4. A standard similar to but not the same as the staff nurse with whom she is as-signed to work

ANSWER

ANS: 1
Student nurses are expected to perform as professional nurses (i.e., as an RN would in providing safe client care). Students are not working in the same capacity as an unlicensed person, and therefore are not compared to the standard of an unlicensed person. No special standard of care because her faculty member is responsible for her conduct is not a true statement. Staff nurses may serve as preceptors, but that does not excuse the student from performing at the level of an RN. If a client is harmed as a direct result of a nursing student’s actions or lack of action, the lia-bility for the incorrect action is generally shared by the student, instructor, hospital or health care facility, and university or educational institution.