Nursing students can reduce the risk of legal issues by only working under the direct supervision of their instructors. Performing clinical procedures in the absence of the nursing instructor or staff nurse can invite legal problems for unlicensed nursing students and the facility where he is fulfilling his clinical education requirements.
If nursing students fail to comply with hospital policy, they may be placing their careers in jeopardy. In addition, being negligent during patient care not only harms the patient, it can put the instructor's license on the line and set the stage for a lawsuit directed at the nursing student.
When nursing students do their charting in the patient's medical record, they must notate that they are a nursing student. Portraying themselves as licensed nurses is one type of legal issue that can affect their future as nurses. Another type of legal issue involves the unlawful possession, or stealing, of medications, which can invite criminal charges against the student nurse.