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Developing assessment of emergency nurse practitioner competence--a pilot study
Suzanne Mason1, Alan Fletcher, Simon McCormick
1Department of Emergency Medicine, Sheffield Teaching Hospitals Trust, School of Health and Related Research, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK. s.mason@sheffield.ac.uk
Journal of Advanced Nursing
|April 22, 2005
Summary
This study assessed Emergency Nurse Practitioners
Area of Science:
- Emergency medicine
- Nursing education
- Healthcare professional competence
Background:
- Emergency Nurse Practitioners (ENPs) are vital in UK minor injury services.
- Lack of formal training requirements for ENPs necessitates skill maintenance strategies.
- Objective Structured Clinical Examinations (OSCEs) offer objective assessment of broad clinical skills.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate baseline competence of ENPs using OSCEs.
- To assess changes in ENP competence over time.
- To measure the impact of an educational intervention on ENP competence.
Main Methods:
- Developed an OSCE based on ENP and expert consultation.
- Piloted the OSCE with junior doctors.
- Conducted baseline OSCE in 2001, followed by an intervention and re-assessment in 2002.
Main Results:
- 17 out of 20 ENPs participated.
- Statistically significant improvement in performance between 2001 and 2002 (P < 0.05).
- Participants reported positive feedback on the OSCE experience.
Conclusions:
- The OSCE framework effectively assessed ENP competence.
- The method allows for longitudinal and comparative competence assessment.
- This approach supports quality assurance in emergency care services.