Clinical Evaluation of Competence in Nursing Education: What Do We Know?

Abstract

Abstract AIM The purpose of this article was to examine the research literature to identify objective, replicable measurement of clinical competence in undergraduate nursing education. BACKGROUND Although a standardized licensure examination is used to determine minimal competence to practice, no consensus on the definition or components of competence exists in the research literature. METHOD A comprehensive search was conducted to locate studies that evaluated nursing students’ general competence in the clinical setting. Twelve reports published from 2010 to 2021 were examined. RESULTS Measures to evaluate competence were varied and contained multiple concepts including attributes of knowledge, attitudes and behaviors, ethics and values, personal attributes, and cognitive or psychomotor skills. Most studies used researcher-created instruments. CONCLUSION Although essential to nursing education, competence in the clinical setting is not commonly defined or evaluated. The lack of standardized instruments has contributed to the use of varied methods and measures for evaluating competence in nursing education and research.