Investigation of Current Practice in Rating Ward Practice of Students in Schools of Nursing1

Abstract

OR several years marked progress has been made, in our schools of nursing, in grading class work. This has been due, largely, to the greater use of objective tests and the grading of students on a comparative basis. Since improved rating of ward practice of students has not, generally. kept pace with this advancement, and since it is still in an experimental stage, it has seemed worth while to investigate current practice with the object of evaluation and determination of procedures for improvement, as well as for the purpose of stimulating others to make a critical ~tudy with the same objects in view. As the first step, a questionnaire was formulated and sent to the fiftythree accredited schools in California and to thirty in various other parts of the country, making a total of eighty-three. The response was most gratifying. Fifty-three have been returned from California, and twentysix from out of the state. One director of nurses wrote a letter stating that the reason she was not complying with the request was that she felt the method used in that school had long needed revision and, therefore, did not think it would be a help in this study. Another wrote that they were in the process of changing their forms and