Developing competency objectives as a basis for planning and assessing health visiting practice in training

Area of Science:

• Nursing Education
• Public Health Practice
• Competency-Based Assessment

Background:

• Evaluating student performance in health visiting is challenging.
• Existing methods may not adequately address diverse learner needs.
• A structured approach is needed for fieldwork education.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop an integrated evaluation schedule for the Health Visitor Diploma fieldwork.
• To foster a collaborative approach between students and practice teachers.
• To enhance the assessment of student competencies in practice.

Main Methods:

• Development of a comprehensive schedule.
• Integration of learning needs identification, planning, implementation, and evaluation.
• Focus on shared planning and assessment.

Main Results:

• A schedule was developed combining key elements of student evaluation.
• The schedule promotes a shared understanding between students and educators.
• It addresses the assessment of competencies in health visiting practice.

Conclusions:

• The developed schedule offers a structured framework for health visitor education.
• It supports a collaborative model for student learning and assessment.
• This approach may inform post-registration nursing course design.