Responsibilities of nursing education: the lessons of Russell v Salve Regina.

In August 1985 Sharon Russell was dismissed from Salve Regina College just before her senior year of nursing education. The reasons given for her dismissal focused on Russell's obesity and her inability to lose weight. The issues raised by this case pose important questions that nursing programs and nurse educators must address. This article explores the questions raised by Russell: (1) What constitutes substantial compliance with both academic and nonacademic performance criteria in a contract between a student and an educational institution? (2) What duties to preserve the privacy interests of students may be imposed on programs and educators? Ms Russell's case has been settled. She established that she had met the terms of the contract and substantially complied with the academic and nonacademic criteria of the nursing curriculum. She was awarded monetary damages for the college's breach of contract in nonperformance of an agreement to educate. She did not prevail in her claims of intentional infliction of emotional distress or invasion of privacy. She did, however, put nursing education programs on notice that colleges and universities are not immune from these contractual challenges and must demonstrate respect and consideration for student's personal concerns.