Author: Gerry Altmiller, EdD, APRN, ACNS-BC, ANEF, FAAN
Title: Associate Professor
Institution: The College of New Jersey
Email: Altmillg@TCNJ.edu
Competency Category(s)
Safety, Teamwork and Collaboration
Learner Level(s)
Faculty Development Strategies, Pre-Licensure ADN/Diploma, Pre-Licensure BSN
Learner Setting(s)
Clinical Setting
Strategy Type
General Strategy
Learning Objectives
- Appreciate the importance of intra- and inter-professional collaboration
- Contribute to resolution of conflict and disagreement
- Appreciate the cognitive and physical limits of human performance
Strategy Overview
Constructive criticism has been identified as a triggering event for incivility in nursing education. As part of professional development, it is essential that faculty create strategies to deliver constructive criticism without injuring with the faculty student relationship. This tool, while not all inclusive, provides examples of how constructive criticism can be reframed. Using the QSEN competencies, particularly the attitudes, as a guide, instructors can reframe their discussions with students regarding poor performance. With the instructor’s assistance, students can reflect on their performance and extract a realistic appraisal of the level of safe practice they have demonstrated, viewing it from the patient perspective. Such processes of reflection may help the student arrive at the conclusions that frequently are now communicated directly by the faculty member and so frequently serve as the triggering event for incivility in the faculty student relationship.
Evaluation Description
This tool was created to serve as an example of how direct constructive criticism of poor student performance can be reframed using the QSEN competencies. It has not been formally evaluated but has been offered as a strategy to reduce incivility in nursing education by improving communication techniques between faculty and students. Faculty can determine if it increases comfort level in situations of duress where student performance necessitates constructive criticism.
Download the tool: 108.QSEN-Constructive-Criticism-Tool.doc
Altmiller, G., Deal, B., Ebersole, N., Flexner, R., Jordan, J., Jowell, V., Norris, T., Risetter, M., Schuler, M., Szymanski, K., Vottero, B., Walker, D. (2018). Constructive feedback teaching strategy: A multi-site study of its effectiveness. Nursing Education Perspectives Special Summit 2018 Issue on Educational Research Collaborations, 39(5), 291-6.