A Comparison of Nurse Aides and Nurses Regarding the Work Competence of Nurse Aides in a Skill-Mixed Institution.

Hui-Chen Hsu,Wen-Jen Chiang,Hsiang-Wen Kung,Bih-O Lee,Ruey-Hsia Wang

doi:10.3390/healthcare9121725

Abstract

Objective: To compare the differences between the work competencies self-reported by nurse aides’ and those perceived by nurses. Method: A cross-sectional survey was employed. The settings were units implemented a skill mix model institution in Taiwan. The instruments consisted of the participants’ demographic data and a nurse aide work competence scale. Results: The results indicated that the nurse aides had room for improvement in terms of “problem solving” and “activity design”. The nurse aides and nurses differed significantly in terms of the nurse aides’ competence in “activity design”, as the nurse aides reported themselves to be more competent in “activity design” than reported by the nurses. Conclusion: Nurse aides should be incorporated into cross-disciplinary teams. Activity design should be handled by other healthcare providers such as physical therapists or senior social workers.

Highlights

This study revealed that the only significant difference between the scores of the subscales in the nurse aides’ work competence scale was the “activity design” subscale
The results indicated that the nurse aides had room for improvement in terms of activity design and problem solving
We suggest that the nurse aides should be incorporated into institutional cross-disciplinary teams in practice

Summary

Introduction

The increase in the proportion of nursing aides is far less than that of elderly people living in institutional settings [3]. Lai [10] opined that core competencies such as service attitude, interpersonal communication, problem solving, professional knowledge, professional skills, work ethics, personal and professional growth are prerequisites for nurse aides. Another study found that nurse aides were most competent in promoting patient comfort, implementing immediate measures to address patients’ existing problems, ensuring patient safety, and providing care in patients’ daily lives; while they were incompetent in assisting in the discovery and handling of latent problems, implementing patient care plans in practice, and guiding patients to engage in activities [12]. Nursing aides in nursing homes merely play the role of a nursing assistant and a social worker, which creates a significant gap between policy development and implementation [8]

Methods

Results

Discussion

Conclusion