A charge nurse allows a nursing student to perform an IV on a patient even though the student has not learned IVs in their lab course and did not inform the charge nurse. This situation is considered what?

• A. Professional misconduct
• B. Not a problem if supervised
• C. Medical error
• D. Ethical dilemma

Answer: (A)

Patient safety requires that a student only perform procedures they have been trained and assessed for, and that supervision and clear communication are in place. Letting a nursing student insert an IV when they have not learned the skill and have not informed the supervisor breaches expected standards of practice and supervision. This kind of lapse is considered professional misconduct because it reflects unsafe practice and failure to meet the responsibilities and rules that govern the profession. The scenario isn’t simply about being supervised or not; the student lacked the necessary training and the supervisor failed to uphold the safeguarding duties, putting the patient at risk. It isn’t described as a medical error in itself unless harm occurs, and it isn’t best characterized as an ethical dilemma since the core issue is a violation of professional standards.