Perception survey on the introduction of clinical performance examination as part of the national nursing licensing examination in Korea / 보건의료교육평가

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to analyze opinions about the action plan for implementation of clinical performance exam as part of the national nursing licensing examination and presents the expected effects of the performance exam and aspects to consider regarding its implementation. METHODS: This study used a mixed-methods design. Quantitative data were collected by a questionnaire survey, while qualitative data were collected by focus group interviews with experts. The survey targeted 200 nursing professors and clinical nurses with more than 5 years of work experience, and the focus group interviews were conducted with 28 of professors, clinical instructors, and nurses at hospitals. RESULTS: First, nursing professors and clinical specialists agreed that the current written tests have limitations in evaluating examinees' ability, and that the introduction of a clinical performance exam will yield positive results. Clinical performance exam is necessary to evaluate and improve nurses' work ability, which means that the implementation of a performance exam is advisable if its credibility and validity can be verified. Second, most respondents chose direct performance exams using simulators or standardized patients as the most suitable format of the test. CONCLUSION: In conclusion, the current national nursing licensing exam is somewhat limited in its ability to identify competent nurses. Thus, the time has come for us to seriously consider the introduction of a performance exam. The prerequisites for successfully implementing clinical performance exam as part of the national nursing licensing exam are a professional training process and forming a consortium to standardize practical training.

Relevance of the test content of the Korean Nursing Licensing Examination to nursing job / 보건의료교육평가

PURPOSE: This study aimed at identifying if there is a relevance of content of the Korean Nursing Licensing Examination (KNLE) revised in 2014 to nursing job. It will be able to provide the validity of revised content of the KNLE. METHODS: From October 13 to November 13, 2015, print version of 8 duties with 49-tasks, 155-job item questionnaires were distributed to 1,305 hospital nurses and 202 nursing faculties in Korea. Results were treated by descriptive statistics and comparison analysis. There were responses from 946 nurses or professors (72.5%). RESULTS: The relevance of test content of KNLE to nursing job was shown to be valid with over 3 points out of 4 point Likert scale in all items: from 3.23 at lowest to 3.64 at top. CONCLUSION: Above results showed that the revised version of KNLE in 2014 was valid to test the nursing students' knowledge for job performance.

The job analysis of Korean nurses as a strategy to improve the Korean Nursing Licensing Examination / 보건의료교육평가

PURPOSE: This study aimed at characterizing Korean nurses' occupational responsibilities to apply the results for improvement of the Korean Nursing Licensing Examination. METHODS: First, the contents of nursing job were defined based on a focus group interview of 15 nurses. Developing a Curriculum (DACOM) method was used to examine those results and produce the questionnaire by 13 experts. After that, the questionnaire survey to 5,065 hospital nurses was done. RESULTS: The occupational responsibilities of nurses were characterized as involving 8 duties, 49 tasks, and 303 task elements. Those 8 duties are nursing management and professional development, safety and infection control, the management of potential risk factors, basic nursing and caring, the maintenance of physiological integrity, medication and parenteral treatments, socio-psychological integrity, and the maintenance and improvement of health. CONCLUSION: The content of Korean Nursing Licensing Examination should be improved based on 8 duties and 49 tasks of the occupational responsibilities of Korean nurses.

Delphi Study on Introduction of Practical Skills Test in National Examination for Nursing Licensure / 기본간호학회지

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to investigate the plan to introduce a practical skills test as part of the national examination for nursing licensure. METHOD: The delphi method was used. The first set of data was collected by open questionnaire from universities and hospitals nationally. The second and third were collected by structured questionnaire. RESULTS: The biggest problem for clinical practice in nursing education was reported as the lack of opportunities for direct nursing practice. The biggest performance problem in job duties for novice nurses was reported as the lack of integrated problem solving skills in a clinical situation. The biggest problem with the current national examination was reported as the use memorizing solutions to test questions. It was suggested that the best plan to resolve problems with the national examination would be to develop test questions representative of the clinical setting and increase personnel in clinical education. About the introduction of a practical skills test as part of the national examination, 56.9% were in agreement and 38.5% disagreed. CONCLUSION: The current national examination has many problems when it comes to testing clinical competency. So, a practical skills test must be deferred to a future time. There are also many difficulties in presenting a real situation, therefore further research is needed in preparation for the introduction of a practical skills test.