Identifying self-presentation components among nursing students with unsafe clinical practice: a qualitative study

Area of Science:

• Nursing Education
• Patient Safety
• Clinical Practice

Background:

• Patient safety is a core priority in nursing education.
• Clinical instructors must identify and remediate unsafe student practices early.
• This study investigates self-presentation strategies in nursing students with unsafe clinical practice.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify self-presentation components among nursing students demonstrating unsafe clinical practice.
• To understand how students manage their professional image when facing performance evaluations or errors.

Main Methods:

• Qualitative study involving 18 faculty, nursing students, and supervisors.
• Data collected via purposive sampling and semi-structured interviews.
• Conventional qualitative content analysis performed using MAXQDA10 software.

Main Results:

• A primary category of 'self-presentation' emerged from the data.
• Three subcategories identified: defensive/protective behaviors, assertive behaviors, and aggressive behaviors.

Conclusions:

• Students employ defensive, assertive, and aggressive tactics to protect their professional identity and image.
• These tactics are used when making mistakes or anticipating performance evaluations.
• Establishing structures for identification, learning, guidance, and evaluation, alongside fostering a growth mindset, is vital for preventing unsafe behaviors and medical errors.