Rita Kennedy: case analysis for decision-making

For nurse educators, the teaching environment has changed drastically. During the past two decades, the pressures of public, professional and educational accountability have impacted on the nursing instructor. Clinical teaching of student nurses has not escaped these pressures and poses concerns for nursing instructors. The Rita Kennedy case illustrates some of today's issues. To illustrate some of the difficulties in dealing with such issues, the case will be analysed using the Schnelle's model. Although Schnelle's framework was initially used for analysis for business cases, the framework for analysis and decision-making is also applicable in nursing education. The following analysis will first discuss assumptions, followed by an alternative course of action, decision and recommendation. However, to assist understanding, the information in the Kennedy case has been categorised in the Table.