Reliability and Validity of the Clinical Competency Scale for Nursing Students

PURPOSE: This study was conducted to evaluate clinical competency of nursing students and to examine the validity and reliability of the scale. METHODS: The Clinical Competency Scale was formed through modification of Lee's Clinical Competency Scale that was originally developed in 1990. The Clinical Competency Scale was applied to 203 nursing students. Construct validity, item convergent and discriminant validity, concurrent validity, and internal consistency reliability of the scale were evaluated. RESULTS: Exploratory factor analysis supported the construct validity with a five factor solution; that explained 63.6% of the total variance. Concurrent validity was demonstrated with the Nursing Competence Scale (r=.78, p < .001). Cronbach's α coefficient for the scale was .96. CONCLUSION: The results of this study suggest that the Clinical Competency Scale has relatively acceptable reliability and validity and can be used in clinical research to assess clinical competency for nursing students.

Development of a Stress Scale for Elderly Patients with Coronary Artery Disease

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to develop a scale to evaluate stress in elderly patients with coronary artery diseases (CAD) and to examine validity and reliability of the scale. METHODS: The development process for the preliminary scale included construction of a conceptual framework and initial items, verification of content analysis, sentence correction, and pilot study. This study was conducted using a questionnaire survey with one-to-one interviews during January and February, 2012. Participants were 240 elderly patients with CAD. Data were analyzed using item analysis, factor analysis, criterion related validity, and internal consistency. RESULTS: The developed scale consisted of 32 items and 6 factors - aging and disease (7 items), family relations (5 items), anxiety and withdrawal (9 items), management of daily living (3 items), compliance of medical regimen (4 items), poverty and finance (4 items), and explained 68.5% of total variance. The scale had significantly positive correlation with the Korean Perceived Stress Scale (KPSS). Cronbach's alpha was .96, and Guttman split half coefficient was .91. CONCLUSION: Results indicate that the Stress Scale for Elderly Patients with CAD has validity and reliability, and is a suitable scale in health care settings to assess stress in elderly patients with CAD.