Student civility in nursing programs: A national survey

A survey of 611 nursing programs was performed to determine the extent to w hich certain problematic student behaviors existed in schools of nursing, a nd how they were being addressed, Participants were also asked about specif ic behaviors of current students compared with those of 5 years ago. Of the 611 surveys sent to program directors, 2 were undeliverable and 409 respon ded for a response rate of 67 per cent. The majority of respondents (48.8 p er cent) were from associate degree programs, followed by baccalaureate deg ree (43.9 per cent), and diploma programs (7 per cent). Three disruptive be haviors were identified by all respondents: inattentiveness in class, atten dance problems, and lateness, Objectionable physical contact between studen ts and instructors were identified by 24.8 per cent, and verbal abuse towar d instructors in the clinical setting by 42.8 per cent. Demographic variabl es examined in terms of their relationship to the behaviors included type o f program, nursing program size, size of the parent institution, geographic region, location of program, and sponsorship of program. Administrators in different types of educational programs and from various geographic locati ons reported problematic student behaviors with high frequency. Identifying strategies for handling disruptive behaviors and assistance in implementin g them is recommended along with a national forum to discuss the issue. Cop yright (C) 2001 by W.B. Saunders Company.