The self-assessment of clinical competence and the need for further training: A cross-sectional survey of advanced practice nursing students.

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: (a) To describe and analyse advanced practice nursing students' self-assessment of their clinical competence and need for further training and (b) to analyse the possible predictive variables in their self-assessment. BACKGROUND: The self-assessment of clinical competence in nursing education is important for identifying professional development and educational needs to improve patient care. DESIGN: A cross-sectional survey following STROBE guidelines was used. METHODS: Ninety-nine students from three universities/university colleges in Norway participated in the study, and data were collected using a revised version of the Professional Nurse Self-Assessment Scale II. Descriptive, correlation and regression analyses were performed. RESULTS: The students gave the highest self-assessment ratings for their clinical competence in taking full responsibility and for their need for further training in medication effects and interactions. Although the students gave themselves low ratings for the use of electronic devices, they assessed their need for further training in this area as average. Clinical work experience as a registered nurse and previous higher education level were not significant predictors of clinical competence nor the need for further training. CONCLUSION: The findings indicate that self-assessment is appropriate for students in advanced practice nursing programmes. This study implies that programmes in advanced practice nursing need to familiarise students with the possibilities of information technology. It questions the entry requirement that stipulates that prospective students must have several years of clinical work experience as registered nurses before entering advanced practice nursing programmes. These programmes need to communicate that competencies other than direct clinical practice are also needed for students' future roles. RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE: The study contributes to the exploration of how students self-assess own clinical competence and need for further training in advanced practice nursing programmes. Further research should evaluate the development of clinical competence.

Postgraduate nurses' self-assessment of clinical competence and need for further training. A European cross-sectional survey.

BACKGROUND: Nursing practice requires application of knowledge, skills and values in various combinations and has undergone substantial changes the last decades. An increased focus on inter-professional collaboration and possible new and more independent roles for nurses are described. A variety of programs have been developed in order to educate registered nurses (RN) to meet the changes and demands in health and nursing care throughout the world. AIM: The aims were to 1) describe nurses' self-assessment of clinical competence and need for further training, and 2) explore possible differences between nurses in specialist vs master's programs. METHODS: A cross-sectional survey design was applied. 97 nurses in postgraduate programs from five countries responded (response rate 45%). A revised version of the Professional Nurse Self-Assessment Scale of clinical core competencies (PROFFNurseSASII) was used for data collection. Independent student t-test and regression analyses were carried out. RESULTS: The respondents rated their competence highest in taking full responsibility, cooperation with other health professionals and in acting ethically. Items where they considered themselves needing further training most were competence on medications, interaction and side effects and differential diagnoses. For all items, nurses in master's programs rated their competence higher than nurses in the specialist programs. Nurses in specialist programs rated their need for more training for all items higher than nurses in master's degree programs, and for 47 out of the 50 items these differences were statistically significant. CONCLUSION: Even though the nurses rated their competence high for important competence aspects such as taking responsibility and cooperation with other health professionals, it is worrying that their need for further training was highest for effects and interaction of various types of medications. Further studies are needed to conclude if and how master's education improves patient outcome.

The Professional Nurse Self-Assessment Scale: Psychometric testing in Norwegian long term and home care contexts.

BACKGROUND: Nurses' clinical competence is vital to ensure safe and high quality care, and the continuous assessment of nurses' clinical competence is of major concern. A validated instrument for the self-assessment of nurses' clinical competence at different educational levels across specialties and countries is lacking. The aim of this study was to test the reliability and construct validity of the new Professional Nurse Self-Assessment Scale (ProffNurse SAS) questionnaire in long term and home care contexts in Norway. The questionnaire is based on the Nordic Advanced Practice Nursing model, in which the nurse-patient relationship is central. METHODS: The study has a cross-sectional survey design. A purposive sample of 357 registered nurses who worked in long term and home care contexts in two geographical regions encompassing eight municipalities and three counties was included. The respondents completed the 74-item ProffNurse SAS questionnaire and demographic background data was collected. Data collection was conducted in two phases: first region autumn 2011 and second region spring 2012. Exploratory factor analyses (EFA) were used to test the psychometric properties of the questionnaire and included the following steps: assessment of the factorality of the data, factor extraction by Principal Component Analysis (PCA), oblimin (oblique) factor rotation, and interpretation. Cronbach's alpha was used to estimate the internal consistency. RESULTS: The PCA revealed a six-component structure, reducing the number of items in the questionnaire from 74 to 51. Based on the content of the highest-loading items, the six components were named: Direct Clinical Practice, Professional Development, Ethical Decision-Making, Clinical Leadership, Cooperation and Consultation, and Critical Thinking. The Cronbach's alpha values ranged from 0.940 (highest; Direct Clinical Practice) to 0.737 (lowest; Critical Thinking), leading to the estimation that the ProffNurse SAS is reliable. CONCLUSIONS: The six components support the study's theoretical framework. The ProffNurse SAS showed acceptable reliability and construct validity and may therefore be a promising instrument for the assessment of practicing nurses' clinical competence. However, we recommend further psychometric testing in other countries and contexts and the inclusion of larger samples of nurses at various levels of education, particularly master's level APNs.

Top-level managers' and politicians' worries about future care for older people with complex and acute illnesses: a Nordic study.

BACKGROUND: The growing aging population, with its associated complex needs and illnesses, will in the future become an even more important challenge for the Nordic countries. AIM: The aim of the study was to describe and explore the perceptions and views of top-level managers and politicians in regard to an optimal future care for older people during the next decade. DESIGN: The study has a qualitative, descriptive design. METHODS: Top-level managers (n = 11) and politicians (n = 8) were interviewed in Sweden, Finland, Denmark and Norway in 2009. The data material was analysed through manifest and latent content analyses. RESULTS: Future care should substantially focus on the individual needs and dignity of older people. The respondents also recommended a preventive perspective on future care. They anticipate that older people's needs will be complex, requiring nursing competence on an advanced level within home care and nursing homes, and point to the importance of leadership abilities and workplace image. Limited resources and the use of health technology will be dominant issues, entailing the need for open-mindedness to reorganise future care. The latent theme expressed was 'A creative willingness to act - but with an underlying worry about the future'. CONCLUSIONS: The findings reveal a multifaceted scenario of optimal future care; older people will have significant, acute and complex needs but resources will be limited. In the near future, medical treatment and nursing care for older people at advanced and specialised levels within primary health care will be needed. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: To meet demands, a clear need exists for the advanced clinical competence of nurses. There is also a clear need to reorganise health care services for older people, develop the leadership abilities of nurse managers and make workplaces more attractive.