Narrativizing Nursing Students' Experiences With Medical Errors During Clinicals

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Communication Studies
• Nursing Practice

Background:

• Understanding how healthcare providers communicate about medical errors is crucial for patient safety.
• Existing research on medical error narratives primarily focuses on experienced providers, with limited exploration of student perspectives.
• The role of narrative in shaping professional identity and response to errors among health professions students remains under-examined.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate how nursing students narrativize their experiences with medical errors during clinical rotations.
• To identify the types of narratives nursing students construct when recounting medical errors.
• To explore the implications of these narratives for nursing education and professional development.

Main Methods:

• Qualitative research design utilizing in-depth interviews with 68 nursing students.
• Interviews were transcribed, generating extensive data (1,261 single-spaced pages) for thematic analysis.
• Narrative analysis was employed to identify recurring storytelling patterns and themes.

Main Results:

• Three primary narrative types emerged: the "save the day" narrative, the "silence" narrative, and the "not always right" narrative.
• "Save the day" narratives often involve overcoming challenges and demonstrating competence.
• The "silence" narrative highlights avoidance or downplaying of errors, while "not always right" reflects a more nuanced acceptance of fallibility.

Conclusions:

• Nursing students' medical error narratives are diverse and significantly influence their interpretation and management of mistakes.
• Educational strategies should acknowledge and address these varied narratives to foster open communication and learning from errors.
• Understanding these student-generated narratives is essential for improving nursing education and promoting a culture of safety.