Background: Noise is a relatively new concept highlighting the variability of cognitive inputs people grapple with when making a judgment. In this case, preceptors make a judgment of students' clinical performance during clinical practicum. There is scant literature examining the impact of noise on nursing student assessment.
Purpose: This article explores the noise that influences nursing preceptors' assessment of students in clinical practice.
Method: A qualitative descriptive design was used, and interviews were conducted with preceptors from the clinical setting.
Results: Three themes were identified, describing the tensions faced by preceptors when assessing students and the noise that impacted those assessments.
Conclusion: Both system noise and individual noise impacted the process and outcome of nursing student assessment during clinical practicum.
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