Characteristics of Unsafe Undergraduate Nursing Students in Clinical Practice: An Integrative Literature Review

Providing quality clinical experiences for nursing students is vital to the development of safe and competent professional nurses. However, clinical educators often have difficulty identifying and coping with students whose performance is unsatisfactory. The purposes of this integrative review were to examine the extent and quality of the literature focusing on unsafe nursing students in clinical settings and to describe the characteristics of nursing students considered unsafe in clinical settings. A structured literature search yielded 11 relevant articles: five theoretical articles and six research studies. Analysis of findings revealed three themes: ineffective interpersonal interactions, knowledge and skill incompetence, and unprofessional image. The themes reflected the attitudes, actions, and behaviors that influenced students' ability to develop a safe milieu for client care. The findings provide clarity for early identification of students in need of increased support and facilitate clinical educators in meeting students' learning needs to ensure patient safety.