An expanded look at evaluating clinical performance: faculty use of anecdotal notes in the U.S. and Canada

The evaluation of students in a clinical setting is often subjective and completed differently among faculty. To describe and compare evaluation practices, faculty were asked to rank order student clinical activities important enough to write an anecdotal note regarding. A total of 15 behaviors were presented and faculty were asked to prioritize their importance. Faculty were also asked demographic information regarding clinical teaching status. The frequency of writing an anecdotal note was requested, and if student notes were documented routinely or only at the end of the semester. After securing Institutional Review Board (IRB) review, ten percent of nursing programs were selected randomly using online data websites for listings of all public and private U.S. and Canadian nursing programs. A 23% response rate was obtained from the electronic survey (n = 849). A small percent of faculty reported the use of anecdotal notes only when they felt disciplinary action against a student was required, and eleven percent reported they were able to complete clinical evaluations without supplemental records. Describing faculty record-keeping practices provides greater understanding of nursing student evaluation. Nursing is the largest health profession in the world, and faculty accuracy in identifying clinical proficiency is vital to patient outcomes.