ABSTRACT
Historically, the summative clinical evaluation of nursing students has been problematic. Tools of measurement for clinical performance have been subjective and, at times, biased at several levels. With these thoughts and past experiences in mind, the faculty in an associate degree nursing program developed a comprehensive approach to summative clinical evaluation. The process began with the development and implementation of a Clinical Performance Manual (CPM) describing five components of the summative evaluation process. These included the: ability to consistently exhibit professional behaviors; random skills performance examination; plan of care examination; critical situations examination; and required course assignments. These components were developed with the intent of objectifying the measurement of cognitive, affective, and psychomotor skills of students. After 1 year of implementing this process with 250 students, feedback received from faculty and students was reviewed and discussed. Reliability and validity studies have been conducted. A decision was made to continue with this new method of evaluation. Recommendations include piloting and implementing the process in others schools and programs.
