Student Not Meeting Proficiencies: What to Write

This is the one assessors dread. Your student is at midpoint and they're not where they should be. You need to document it honestly — for the student's development, for patient safety, and because the NMC requires it — but you also don't want to be unfair or write something you'll regret.

The good news: there's a way to be both honest and professional. Here's how.

The Scenario

Third-year student, 4 weeks into an 8-week placement on a surgical ward. They should be demonstrating increasing independence at this stage, but they still need prompting for basic observations, haven't initiated a care plan independently, and their documentation is inconsistent. They're friendly with patients and the team likes them, but clinically they're performing closer to a second-year level.

Your Rough Notes

"Midpoint — still needing prompts for obs, not taking initiative. Hasn't done a care plan on their own yet. Documentation still messy, missing times, abbreviations. Nice with patients and staff like them but clinically behind where a 3rd yr should be at midpoint. Need to have a conversation."

The Professional PAD Feedback

"At the midpoint of this placement, [student nurse] is not yet demonstrating the level of independence expected for a third-year student in several key areas. While [student nurse] carries out observations when prompted, they have not yet begun to initiate these independently or recognise when additional monitoring may be required. Care planning remains an area requiring significant development — [student nurse] has not yet independently formulated a nursing care plan, which is an expected proficiency at this stage of their programme. Documentation requires attention, with entries noted to be missing timestamps and containing non-standard abbreviations, which does not meet the professional standards for accurate record-keeping. It is important to acknowledge that [student nurse] demonstrates strong interpersonal skills, building positive rapport with patients and working collaboratively with the multidisciplinary team. These relational strengths provide a solid foundation for clinical development. An action plan has been agreed with the following objectives: (1) [student nurse] will independently initiate and complete a full set of observations for their allocated patients by week 6, (2) [student nurse] will independently develop a written care plan for one patient by the end of week 5, and (3) [student nurse] will ensure all documentation entries include date, time, and signature using only approved abbreviations. Progress against these objectives will be reviewed at week 6. The academic assessor has been informed of these concerns."

Why This Wording Works

It's factual, not emotional. It describes what the student isn't doing yet, not what they can't do. It acknowledges genuine strengths (interpersonal skills) so the feedback is balanced and fair. And it includes a concrete action plan with specific, measurable objectives and a review date — which is exactly what the PAD process requires.

Writing this kind of nuanced feedback takes real thought and careful wording. Getting the tone right — honest but not punitive, specific but not overwhelming — is the hardest part of being a practice assessor.

WritingPAD helps you get the wording right. Type in your honest rough notes and it produces professional, balanced feedback with appropriate NMC language and actionable development points.

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