ABSTRACT
This article reports the correlation between different clinical assessors' scoring of learners' clinical competencies in order to exclude any possible extraneous variables with regard to reasons for poor clinical competencies of learners. A university in Gauteng; South Africa provides a learning programme that equips learners with clinical knowledge; skills and values in the assessment; diagnosis; treatment and care of patients presenting at primary health care (PHC) facilities. The researcher observed that; despite additional clinical teaching and guidance; learners still obtained low scores in clinical assessments at completion of the programme. This study sought to determine possible reason(s) for this observation. The objectives were to explore and describe the demographic profile of learners and the correlation between different clinical assessors' scoring of learners. A purposive convenience sample consisted of learners (n = 34) and clinical assessors (n = 6). Data were collected from learners using a self-administered questionnaire and analysed using a nominal and ordinal scale measurement. Data from clinical assessors were collected using a checklist; which was statistically analysed using a software package. The variables were correlated to determine the nature of the relationship between the different clinical assessors' scores on the checklist to ensure inter-rater reliability. Findings showed that there was no significant difference in the mean of the scoring of marks between clinical assessors after correlation (p 0.05). Thus; scoring of marks did not contribute to poor clinical competencies exhibited by learners
Subject(s)
Clinical Competence , Evaluation Studies as Topic , Human Characteristics , Nursing , StudentsABSTRACT
No member of [health] staff should undertake tasks unless they are competent to do so' is stated in the Comprehensive Primary Health Care Service Package for South Africa (Department of Health 2001) document. In South Africa; primary clinical nurses (PCNs); traditionally known as primary health care nurses (PHCNs); function as 'frontline providers' of clinical primary health care (PHC) services within public PHC facilities; which is their extended role. This extended role of registered nurses (set out in section 38A of the Nursing Act 50 of 1978; as amended) demands high clinical competency training by nursing schools and universities. The objectives of the study were to explore and describe the perceptions of both clinical instructors and students; in terms of the reasons for poor clinical competencies. Results established that two main challenges contributed to students' poor clinical competencies: challenges within the PHC clinical field and challenges within the learning programme (University)