Competency Skills Assessment: Successes and Areas for Improvement Identified During Collaboration Between Informaticists and a National Organization.

The Association of periOperative Registered Nurses (AORN) approached the Nursing Informatics Research Team (NIRT) with a request to collaborate and conduct a competency assessment for their organization. An online tool was developed to determine current technology in perioperative settings. This presentation shares the process used to conduct research that led to a method for assessing perioperative nurses' competencies skills in their practice as well as identified gaps in curricula that faculty could address. Both successes and areas for improvement are detailed. The outcome of the process demonstrated a need to understand what skills are being assessed as AORN did not know what technology existed or how existing equipment was being used.

Operationalizing the TANIC and NICA-L3/L4 Tools to Improve Informatics Competencies.

Two tools were developed for nurses to self-assess different levels of informatics competencies. The TANIC is used for all nurses to self-assess; the NICA-L3/L4 is a tool for the informatics nurse specialist (INS) to self-assess skill levels. There are 167 informatics items in the TANIC and 178 advanced informatics items in the NICA-L3/L4. These tools were piloted; the results presented here. Based on the evaluation, the tools have been integrated into informatics courses at the BSN and MSN programs at Chamberlain College of Nursing, and presented in two AACN webinars and other national conferences. Numerous requests have been honored to provide the tools for other schools of nursing to use in their courses, including DNP programs. Other requests include those from CNIOs and managers to include in their job descriptions for informatics nurses.