Preparing patient safety advocates: Evaluation of nursing students' reported experience with authority gradients in a hospital setting

In this post hoc review, prelicensure students' observations of communication interactions were evaluated to assess the students' ability to recognize ineffective professional communication due to an authority gradient and the resultant impact on the patient, other team members, and self. By expanding curricular content to include structured communication strategies using simulation, interprofessional education, and debriefing, students' advocacy skills should improve and potential patient safety risks should decrease as authority gradients are effectively challenged.