Competence Of Nurses Research Articles

Development of basic nursing competence among third- and fourth-year students

Introduction: in an environment where scientific evidence and best clinical practices are constantly developing, it is crucial that nurses are trained and evaluated on their skills and competencies to face the latest advances and findings in the field of health. Objective: to evaluate the development of basic nursing competencies in third- and fourth-year students. Method: a descriptive and cross-sectional observational study was carried out; the universe was 218 third- and fourth-year students of a nursing training program, the sample of 140 students was calculated under a confidence level of 95 % and margin of error of 5 % and was selected in a simple randomized way; the Basic Competence Scale in Fundamental Nursing Practice was used, structured by 25 items classified in 5 domains. SPSS software for Windows, version 26.0, was used for data analysis and descriptive statistics were calculated, including means and standard deviations, frequency and percentage. Results: most of the students were women in the third year of training, whose age ranged from 21 to 24 years. The lowest-performing skills were the ability to understand the reasons for prescribing specific medications for patients, the ability to make prompt corrections to patient care plans based on assessments, and the ability to comprehensively consolidate the information gathered into a written report. The most developed skill was the ability to use communication skills to communicate with caregivers. Conclusions: the domain evaluated as having the lowest performance were skills in basic biomedical sciences, in relation to communication skills where higher performance is evidenced

Enhancing the competencies of obstetrical nurses and midwives in high-risk pregnancy management through simulation-based training in Lao people's democratic republic: A pilot study

BackgroundSimulation-based training has been widely used as a valuable strategy for learning and evaluating clinical skills at different levels of nursing and midwifery education. The impact of simulation training on intensive management for high-risk pregnancy in a low-resource setting has been limited. AimTo examine the effect of simulation-based training with low-fidelity mannequins on obstetrical nurses and midwives’ knowledge, attitude, and skills for high-risk pregnancy management in a low-resource setting. MethodDuring September 2023, twenty-five obstetrical nurses or midwives who worked in five tertiary public hospitals in Vientiane Prefecture participated in the three-day training workshops for intensive management in high-risk pregnant women and newborns that used a simulation-based training approach integrating problem-based learning. The evaluated criteria of knowledge, attitudes, and skills pre- and post-test scores were statistically compared. FindingsWorkshop trainees demonstrated an increase significantly in knowledge for high-risk pregnancy management (p = 0.012), attitude toward high-risk pregnancy management (p = 0.000), and attitude toward simulation-based training design (p = 0.002). The clinical skills were used on the simulation performance checklist, and the pre-posttest gain in overall performance scores had a statistically significant difference (p = 0.000). The mean score of postpartum hemorrhage management skills was 11.48±2.23, which increased the highest score among all skills. ConclusionsThe simulation-based training in high-risk pregnancy management improves the knowledge, attitude, and skills of nurses and midwives in low-resource settings. Next steps include direct observation of trainees in the clinical setting to assess their competence in ensuring patient safety, achieving positive pregnancy outcomes, and enhancing satisfaction.

Comparison of characteristic competencies of public health nurses working at a community general support center and health and welfare in public administration in Japan.

To compare the characteristic competencies of public health nurses working for the older adult's health and welfare in public administration ("PA") with those at community general support centers ("CGSC") in Japan. We conducted a questionnaire survey by mail for PA and CGSC public health nurses. A competency list that was developed to compare three groups (PA, CGSC experts with ≥5 years of experience, and CGSC newcomers with ≤2 years of experience) was used. The following characteristics were examined: (1) competencies acquired early after arriving at the CGSC, (2) competencies acquired through a certain amount of CGSC experience, (3) common competencies, (4) competencies that even experts lacked, and (5) competencies that the newcomers lacked. We examined the responses of 171 PA nurses, 185 CGSC expert public health nurses, and 165 CGSC newcomer public health nurses. The results of comparison of the three groups showed that (1) had no applicable items; (2) had nine items for individual support associated with preventive care management; (3) had 14 items including teamwork among three professionals (social workers, senior care manager, public health nurse)/other professionals and self-improvement; (4) had three items for community development, (5) had two items for individual support and 16 items for community development. Initiatives for preventive care and coordination of care teams should be supported and suggested as characteristic competencies for CGSC public health nurses.

The Relationships among communication competence, professional autonomy and clinical reasoning competence in oncology nurses.

To investigate the relationships among communication competence, professional autonomy and clinical reasoning and to identify the factors that influence clinical reasoning competence in oncology nurses. Cross-sectional descriptive design. Participants included 147 oncology nurses with more than a year of clinical experience in cancer wards. The Global Interpersonal Communication Competence Scale, Schutzenhofer Professional Autonomy Scale and Nurses Clinical Reasoning Scale (NCRS) were used to collect data. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics, independent t-test, one-way ANOVA, Pearson correlation analysis and hierarchical multiple regression analysis. Communication competence (r = 0.59) and professional autonomy (r = 0.46) showed significant positive relationships with clinical reasoning competence. Clinical experience, communication competence, age and professional autonomy were statistically significant predictors and explained 48.6% of clinical reasoning competence. The clinical reasoning competence of oncology nurses increases proportionally with their communication competence and professional autonomy. Therefore, oncology nurses must reinforce their communication competence and professional autonomy to enhance their clinical reasoning competence. The reinforcement of communication competence and professional autonomy is necessary for oncology nurses to enhance their clinical reasoning competence. In order to improve nurses' communication competence, practical-focused communication education programmes must be designed and deployed systematically and periodically. In addition, to increase nurses' professional autonomy, it is necessary to expand their clinical experiences through the regular rotation of working units and to make institutional efforts to retain experienced nurses. We have adhered to STROBE checklist. Participants in the study were recruited online. They were informed of the study's purpose, method and usability and the survey could only be conducted if they consented to participate voluntarily.

Geriatric nursing competence of clinical nursing staff at different hospital levels in Chongqing, China: A cross-sectional study

ObjectivesThis study aimed to survey the geriatric nursing competencies of clinical nursing staff in Chongqing City, China, and provide suggestions to enhance these competencies. MethodsThis study was conducted in 204 hospitals in Southwest China from December 24, 2022 to January 7, 2023. The “Geriatric Nursing Competence of Clinical Nurse Investigation Tool” was used to explore factors that influence geriatric nurses’ competencies via stratified sampling. The survey was conducted by distributing and collecting questionnaires through the online platform Wenjuanxing. ResultsA total of 10,692 nurses answered the questionnaires. Of these questionnaires, 9,442 were valid. The total geriatric nursing competence score of the clinical nursing staff was 2.29 ± 0.81, the secondary hospital score was 2.23 ± 0.78, and the tertiary hospital’s overall mean score was 2.33 ± 0.83. The factors that influenced secondary hospitals included the department of medicine, age of nurses and total length of career (P < 0.05). The factors that influenced tertiary hospitals included the department of medicine, age of nurses, nurses’ professional title, and geriatric practical advanced nurses’ certification (P < 0.05). ConclusionsGeriatric nursing competence among clinical nursing staff is imbalanced at a lower-middle level and is influenced by various factors. The findings highlight the need for further clinical training in geriatric nursing. The training of geriatric nurses should focus on necessary clinical skills and on preparing them to adequately manage comprehensive geriatric syndromes.

Are nursing students ready to respond to disasters? A study on self-efficacy of nursing students to apply psychological first aid

BackgroundPsychological first aid (PFA) is an effective initial response to disasters. Nursing students are an important human resource for supporting health services during and after disasters. Improving nursing students' PFA application competencies is necessary for both themselves and aid providers. AimThis study aimed to determine sernior nursing students' self-efficacy in psychological first aid application in disaster situations. DesignThis was a descriptive cross-sectional study. Setting and participantsA total of 536 senior nursing students who had received undergraduate nursing education in Turkey participated in this study. MethodsData were collected between March and June 2022, using an online questionnaire comprising a “Personal Information Form” and “PFA Application Self-Efficacy Scale.” The data obtained were analyzed using descriptive statistics, independent samples t-test, Mann–Whitney U test, one-way analysis of variance, Kruskal–Wallis test, multiple comparison tests, and linear regression analysis. ResultsThe average age of the senior nursing students was 21.82 ± 2.23 years. Overall, 89.6 % of the students had not received PFA service from any institution. Furthermore, 91.4 % had not received PFA training at any institution. The students' mean score on the PFA application self-efficacy scale was 123.37 ± 22.92. Students who received PFA training had high average scores. ConclusionsIt is necessary to develop senior nursing students' self-efficacy in PFA application. In this context, it is recommended that systematic training, including training on the application of PFA, be conducted regularly along with applied studies on disaster response situations.

Nursing Informatics Competency among Nurses at a Teaching Hospital in Malaysia

Nursing informatics merges nursing science with information and analytical sciences to identify, describe, manage, and disseminate nursing data, information, knowledge, and wisdom. Identifying nurses’ informatics competency will help improve information technology utilisation in clinical practice. The aim of this study was to assess basic competency in nursing informatics and related factors influencing nurses working in a university teaching hospital. Thus, a cross-sectional study was conducted. A stratified random sampling of the total population of 1,136 nurses with sample size of 316 nurses participated in this study. The data was collected using a self-reported questionnaire utilising the Nursing Informatics Competency Assessment Tool (NICAT) reaching targeted sample by convenient approach. The results of this study showed that 85% (n = 269) nurses were competent in nursing informatics competency. There was a significant relationship between basic nursing informatics competency and sociodemographic of age (t = 4.194, p = 0.000), gender (t = –2.558, p = 0.011), educational level (F [2,313] = 5.094, p = 0.007) and working discipline (F [6,309] = 8.309, p = 0.000). There was also a significant relationship between basic nursing informatics competency and working experience (ρ = –0.231, n = 316, p = 0.000). However, the study is based on self-reporting and does not measure the actual performance of nursing informatics competency. Overall, the findings indicated the need for improvement in nursing informatics by exposure or awareness for potential age group and particular clinical setting for training and educational of nursing informatics.

Development of a Risk Communication in Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) Module for Nurses: A Process Description

Risk communication is necessary for any emergency response to disseminate information and increase public risk perception. Although communication skills are a core competency of nurses, they are learned only during nursing studies and do not include risk communication skills, particularly in global health emergencies. Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) modules can help improve learners’ critical-thinking, problem-solving and interpersonal skills. However, research has revealed that the MOOC module on risk communication for nurses has not been developed recently. This study created a module on risk communication in global health emergencies using the extended Massive Open Online Course (xMOOC) framework. The module was developed based on Thiagarajan and Semmel’s (1974) 4D development model (i.e. Define, design, develop and disseminate). Due to time and financial constraints, however, the model was modified to have only three stages: define, design and develop. The validity of the produced xMOOC module was evaluated by six subject matter experts using evaluation checklists, and the results were analysed using two methods: the percentage calculation method (PCM) and the content validity index (CVI). The PCM scores for the module content and the xMOOC course design were 85.4% and 95.83%, respectively, and the CVI for the module content was 0.95, and for the xMOOC course design, 0.92. Both types of content validity tests showed that this xMOOC module had excellent content validity and could be used to improve risk communication knowledge and skills in future nursing educational programmes. Due to the implementation of this xMOOC module, the continuing nursing education programme has gained increased attractiveness as well as significance on a worldwide basis.

Self-Assessment of the Intercultural Competences of Medical Doctors and Nurses in Poland in the Face of Current Refugee Challenges

Health care is one of the most important systems in both society and the economy. At the same time, it is a highly complex system that is subject to an increasing number of challenges in the contemporary world. For example, the health care system in Poland struggles primarily with inadequate numbers of nurses and medical doctors, as well as insufficient funding. A relatively new challenge is to provide for the health needs of refugees, whose number is increasing due to the war in Ukraine beyond Poland’s eastern border. This raises the question of the substantive preparation of nurses and medical doctors to work in a culturally diverse environment. Have they had the opportunity to train in intercultural competences? How do they assess their own intercultural competences? Do they see challenges in their interactions with foreigners? The aim of this paper is therefore to present a self‑assessment of the intercultural competences of medical doctors and nurses in Poland, in particular in the context of current refugee challenges. In order to achieve the assumed goal, a proprietary questionnaire form was created, and a nationwide survey was conducted among a group of professionally active medical doctors and nurses. The results of the research, in addition to providing valuable knowledge, were used to draw up specific recommendations for improving the continuing education of medical and nursing staff in the area of intercultural competences. Based on the research results, guidelines for better management in public health organisations were also created. This text may be of interest to researchers of management in public health care organisations, and in particular human resources management in health care institutions, as well as practitioners trying to deal with the current problems facing public health management.

Current situation of knowledge, practice skill of nurses on wound care and some related factors according to Vietnamese nursing competency standards: A study in a hospital in Hanoi

Background: The introduction of Vietnamese Nursing Competency Standards in 2012 has urged the needs for re-assessment of nursing skills, with the aim to improve the quality of the training on wound care in country. Purposes: The study aimed to describe knowledge and practice of nurses on wound care and identify some the related factors in order to make the recommendation for improvement of the nursing care competency. Methods: This a cross-sectional descriptive prospective study was conducted in Ha Dong General Hospital from July 2023 to October 2023. Results: 76 clinical nurses were enrolled with the mean age was 35.6±6.8 years, female nurses most commonly accounted for 89.5%. Notably, the lowest average score in terms of knowledge was observed in suture removal (9.74±3.21) and pressure ulcer wound care (6.93±1.63). In terms of practice, the lowest average score was recorded for pain assessment and bleeding control (7.91±1.33). Furthermore, the study revealed a statistically significant correlation between knowledge and working experience (p&lt;0.05). Nurses with a good level of knowledge were found to have a 4.66 times higher likelihood of demonstrating good practice (OR=4.66). Conclusions and recommendations: The factors related to the competency of wound care of nurses were found in the study strongly suggest the need for improvement of quality of training in order to align with the established standards.

Effectiveness of interventions for the prevention or management of workplace violence in student nurses during clinical placement: A systematic review.

To systematically investigate the effectiveness of interventions for managing workplace violence experienced by registered nursing students during clinical placement. A systematic review of experimental studies. The review was conducted according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines. The key search concepts such as "Nursing students", "Education", "workplace violence", "clinical placement" and "clinical study" were inspected to identify relevant articles (Appendix A). Two independent reviewers completed screening, critical appraisal and data extraction. Due to heterogeneity among the included studies, results were synthesized narratively. MEDLINE (Ovid), CINAHL (EBSCOhost), Web of Science Core Collection (Clarivate Analytics), Scopus (Elsevier), Embase (Ovid), Cochrane CENTRAL, ERIC (ProQuest), ProQuest Central and ProQuest Social Science Premium Collection were searched from inception to 27th February 2023. A total of 13 studies were included in this review. The predominant intervention for managing workplace violence experienced by registered nursing students during clinical placements was education. Approaches varied among studies and included didactic teaching, e-learning, role-playing and simulation practice. The included studies showed uncertain improvements in registered nursing students' confidence, coping skills, knowledge, competence and self-efficacy in dealing with workplace violence during clinical placements. Only one study assessed the incidence rate of workplace violence and found that a multi-faceted intervention involving both staff and students decreased the incidence. Given the heterogeneity of educational interventions, the effect of interventions for managing workplace violence during students' clinical placement is uncertain. To address this gap, high-quality, proactive and combined interventions at both institutional and organizational levels are needed.

Leadership Development Training Program Effect on Acquisition of Leadership Competencies for Nurses? A Pilot Study

Leadership Development Training Program Effect on Acquisition of Leadership Competencies for Nurses? A Pilot Study

The mediating role of nutritional care literacy on the relationship between self-directed learning ability and nursing competence

BackgroundNurses' nursing competence and nutritional care literacy directly affect patients' health and safety. Self-directed learning ability was pervasive throughout the entire work process of nursing work and was the basis for improving both. However, there are few studies has explored the mechanism from the perspective of nutritional care literacy. The purpose of this study was to analyze the relationship between self-directed learning ability and nursing competence, and to explore the mediating role of nutritional care literacy between self-directed learning and nursing competence among clinical nurses in China.MethodsA cross-sectional survey was conducted among 805 clinical nurses recruited from seven general hospitals in Hunan Province, China, between January 25 and March 6, 2022. The self-directed learning ability, nutritional care literacy and nursing competence of nurses were evaluated through investigation. A total of 799 questionnaires were received, resulting in an response rate of 99.25%.We performed an intermediary modeling to examine the mediating roles of nutritional care literacy on the relationship between self-directed learning ability and nursing competence in clinical nurses.ResultsSelf-directed learning ability was positively correlated with nutritional care literacy (r=0.792, P<0.001) and nursing competence (r=0.696, P<0.001). Nutritional care literacy was positively correlated with nursing competence (r=0.658, P<0.001). Nutritional care literacy mediated the relationship between self-directed learning ability and nursing competence. The mediating effect accounted for 32.48% of the total effect and 48.10% of the direct effect .ConclusionsThis study confirmed the positive correlation between self-directed learning ability, nutritional care literacy, and nursing competence. Nutritional care literacy played a mediating role in the relationship between self-directed learning ability and nursing competence. The findings not only provide a novel strategy for cultivating nursing professionals and improving nurse disease care abilities, but also offer a new perspective for nursing educators and managers.

Nurses' engagement in advance care planning practices: A descriptive cross-sectional study.

To describe and compare nurses' awareness of, attitudes toward, and participation in advance care planning, as well as related facilitators and challenges, in four types of healthcare settings. A cross-sectional descriptive study. Four hundred and ninety-eight registered nurses from tertiary, secondary and primary healthcare institutions, along with long-term care centres in South Korea, participated in an investigator-developed online survey. The collected data were analysed using descriptive statistics, chi-squared test, one-way ANOVA, and binary logistic regression. Participants were on average 30.6 ± 7.3 years old, mostly female (95.4%), employed as staff nurses (95.4%), held bachelor's degrees or higher (84.1%), and had worked for less than 5 years at their current institutions (69.7%). Overall, 49% of the participants were familiar with advance care planning. While most participants supported nurse involvement in advance care planning with patients and surrogates, fewer were willing to engage or recommend it. Less than half were actively engaged in advance care planning practices. A notable challenge was the lack of time due to excessive workload. Compared to those from tertiary healthcare institutions, participants from secondary and primary healthcare institutions and long-term care centres were less likely to be aware of advance care planning. Participants from secondary and primary healthcare institutions had lower odds of checking for the presence of advance directives and the physician orders for life-sustaining treatment. Nurses demonstrated low awareness and participation in advance care planning. Nurses' insufficient time and competency to conduct advance care planning in their practice should be addressed. Educational programs, initiatives (e.g. guidelines, position statements) and legal and policy-level efforts (e.g. nurse staffing, role clarification, reimbursement) are crucial to incorporate advance care planning into routine nursing practice. What problem did the study address? Nurses play an important role in advance care planning; however, limited is understood about their readiness and involvement in such practices. What were the main findings? Nurses' awareness of advance care planning practices and their participation in such practices is low across care settings. Although nurses have a positive attitude toward advance care planning, there are challenges (e.g. insufficient time to conduct advance care planning discussions and lack of relevant knowledge and skills) that impede their participation in practice. Where and on whom will the research have an impact? This study may serve as a foundation for nursing societies in countries, where advance care planning is emerging, to discuss strategies to increase nurses' competency in advance care planning and promote their participation in the practice. The STROBE checklist was followed. No patient or public contribution.

A many-facet Rasch measurement model approach to investigating objective structured clinical examination item parameter drift.

Objective Structured Clinical Examinations (OSCEs) are widely used for assessing clinical competence, especially in high-stakes environments such as medical licensure. However, the reuse of OSCE cases across multiple administrations raises concerns about parameter stability, known as item parameter drift (IPD). AIMS &OBJECTIVES: This study aims to investigate IPD in reused OSCE cases while accounting for examiner scoring effects using a Many-facet Rasch Measurement (MFRM) model. Data from 12 OSCE cases, reused over seven administrations of the Internationally Educated Nurse Competency Assessment Program (IENCAP), were analyzed using the MFRM model. Each case was treated as an item, and examiner scoring effects were accounted for in the analysis. The results indicated that despite accounting for examiner effects, all cases exhibited some level of IPD, with an average absolute IPD of 0.21 logits. Three cases showed positive directional trends. IPD significantly affected score decisions in 1.19% of estimates, at an invariance violation of 0.58 logits. These findings suggest that while OSCE cases demonstrate sufficient stability for reuse, continuous monitoring is essential to ensure the accuracy of score interpretations and decisions. The study provides an objective threshold for detecting concerning levels of IPD and underscores the importance of addressing examiner scoring effects in OSCE assessments. The MFRM model offers a robust framework for tracking and mitigating IPD, contributing to the validity and reliability of OSCEs in evaluating clinical competence.

Catalysts for change: A qualitative study of middle managers' perception of nursing professional competence in primary healthcare.

This study aims to explore middle managers' perception of nursing professional competence within the Norwegian primary healthcare service, a sector vital for managing complex patient needs. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with four middle managers across different municipalities in Norway. Qualitative content analyses, following Graneheim and Lundman, were used for analysing the transcription of the interviews and the data collected. The qualitative content analysis revealed three main themes: the significance of advanced competence, challenges related to competence development and the necessity for defining advanced competence. The findings indicate that middle managers recognise the importance of advanced nursing competence in providing comprehensive patient care, notwithstanding challenges in manpower and competence enhancement. This research underlines the significance of investing in increased competence and improved management in primary healthcare and offers valuable insights for healthcare policy and practice to enhance patient care.

Professional competencies in geriatric nursing for geriatric nurses: a latent profile analysis

BackgroundAs the global population continues to age, social realities such as advanced age, disability and living alone are coming to the fore, and the demand for medical care and health services for the elderly is increasing dramatically, especially in geriatrics. Given the important role geriatric nurses play in the diagnosis and treatment of diseases and rehabilitation of elderly patients, and due to the uniqueness and complexity of geriatric work, this requires geriatric nurses not only to have the competencies that are available in general nursing, but also to ensure that they have sufficient geriatric core competencies in order to effectively meet the needs of the patients and accelerate their recovery. Although previous studies have investigated the core competencies of nursing staff, there has been little research on geriatric nurses’ core geriatric nursing competencies and their predictors. The aim of this study was to investigate the current status of the geriatric nursing competency inventory (GNCI) among geriatric nurses using latent profiling, to identify potential subgroups and their population characteristics, and to explore the factors that influence the potential subgroups.MethodsFrom January to March 2024, 1,313 geriatric nurses in Hefei City were selected by stratified cluster sampling method and surveyed with general information questionnaire, geriatric nursing competency inventory, and occupational coping self-efficacy scale for nurses(OCSE-N). Potential subgroups of GNCI differences among geriatric nurses were identified by latent profile analysis (LPA). Multiple logistic regression analyses were used to explore the factors influencing the GNCI of geriatric nurses with different latent profiles.ResultsGeriatric nurses’ OCSE-N was positively correlated with GNCI, and the GNCI score was 123.06(41.60), which indicated that geriatric nurses’ GNCI was at an intermediate level. The OCSE-N score was 35.44(7.34), which was at a relatively high level. There was heterogeneity in the GNCI of geriatric nurses, which was classified into three subgroups i.e., Low-competency group, Medium-competency group, High-competency group. The results of multiple logistic regression analyses showed that OCSE-N, title, whether or not they attended geriatric nurse specialist training, and specialist nurse status were predictors of GNCI among geriatric nurses (P < 0.05).ConclusionThe GNCI categorical characteristics of geriatric nurses are obvious, and nursing managers should adopt targeted interventions according to the characteristics of nurses in different profiles to improve the overall quality of care.

Critical care nurses' competence in mentoring students in intensive care units—A cross-sectional study

BackgroundMentors play an important role in the practical education of critical care nursing students in intensive care units, yet little is known about the mentoring competencies of critical care nurses. AimThe aim of this study was to assess Norwegian critical care nurses' competence in mentoring students in intensive care units. DesignThis study has a descriptive, cross-sectional design, utilising a self-administered online survey. SettingsThe study population consisted of critical care nurses who mentor students in Norwegian intensive care units. Participants178 critical care nurses participated in the study. The participants were recruited by contacting the units directly, through social media, and at a national critical care nursing conference. MethodsThe study utilised the Mentors' Competence Instrument, a self-evaluation tool for evaluating mentoring competence. ResultsThe Norwegian critical care nurses generally evaluated their mentoring competence as middle to high level. The “reflection during mentoring” dimension was rated as the highest and “student-centered evaluation” as the lowest competence dimension. The critical care nurses who had formal mentoring education reported significantly higher mentoring competences, but the other demographic characteristics were not related to mentoring competence. Regardless of previous mentoring education, most participants reported a need to further develop their mentoring competencies. ConclusionsEmployers should collaborate with educational institutions to establish a system for continuous competence development for critical care nurse mentors.

Student nurses' utilisation of self-directed simulation learning at a University in Gauteng.

Self-directed simulation learning (SSL) is a globally accepted teaching and learning strategy wherein student nurses take the initiative in diagnosing their learning needs, formulate learning goals, identify resources for learning, and implement relevant strategies in response to their learning needs. This autonomous learning strategy will assist student nurses in taking ownership of their learning. Consequently, student nurses exit the training programme to become lifelong learners, safe and competent professional nurses. This study aimed to explore and describe the experiences of student nurses' utilisation of SSL at a University in Gauteng and to make recommendation(s) to enhance the use of SSL. A qualitative, exploratory, descriptive, and contextual research design was used to uncover the student nurses' experiences with the use of SSL at a University. Nineteen participants were purposively sampled. Data collection was conducted through focus group interviews. Tesch's method of data analysis was used to analyse, organise and interpret data. Theme: student nurses experience time constraints, which hinder their utilisation of SSL. Subthemes: (1) a compacted academic timetable, and (2) limited access to the clinical simulation laboratory for self-directed learning. Time constraints hinder the utilisation of SSL, and this challenge threatens the acquisition of clinical skills and knowledge during the training of student nurses.Contribution:Evidence-based recommendations to enhance the utilisation of SSL at a University.

Reliability of the Mental Health Nurse Competency Assessment Tool (ECOEnfSM): A pilot study

AimTo evaluate the reliability of the ECOEnfSM scale as a tool to assess the professional competencies of Mental Health Nurse Practitioners (MHNP) in their clinical practice. MethodA pilot study, observational, descriptive and cross-sectional, focuses on MHNP who have completed their Specialized Health Training Program (SHTP) in Spain. The data were collected by general and collaborators mentors of the Multiprofessional Teaching Units (MTUs). The Mental Health Nursing Competency Assessment Tool (ECOEnfSM) was used, which consists of three subscales and eight Competence Units (CU). A reliability and validity analysis were conducted (Cronbach's alpha and Spearman's correlation coefficient). ResultsThe Rotation Assessment subscales showed excellent reliability (r > 0.90) with high and very high correlations (r > 0.6) in all UCs with high levels of significance (P < .01). The Annual Assessment subscale showed good reliability (r > 0.80) with a medium and very high correlation (r > 0.4) with high levels of significance (P < .01). All UCs showed a good to excellent consistency (r > 0.80). The “Home Visits” assessment criterion showed heterogeneity of data due to there are few MTUs that fully develop it. ConclusionThe ECOEnfSM scale showed very high reliability in MHNP during their training program in Spain. The ECOEnfSM is considered the only objective tool in Spain to assess the professional competencies in this population.