Evaluating clinical competence of distant nurse practitioner students

Area of Science:

• Nursing Education
• Clinical Competency Assessment
• Advanced Practice Nursing

Background:

• Evaluating core clinical competencies for nurse practitioner (NP) students at remote sites is challenging.
• Effective evaluation necessitates collaboration among students, preceptors, and university faculty.
• Diverse student backgrounds necessitate adaptable assessment tools.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce an innovative online tool, the Clinical Development Scale (CDS).
• To streamline the process of developing and evaluating NP students' clinical competencies.
• To facilitate communication and data collection for formative and summative evaluations.

Main Methods:

• The Clinical Development Scale (CDS) gathers self-assessment data from NP students.
• The CDS analyzes, organizes, and prioritizes competencies for clinical practicums.
• The system generates evaluation summaries using student and preceptor input.

Main Results:

• The CDS provides a structured framework for competency-based education.
• It facilitates objective assessment and feedback for NP students.
• Action plans for skill development are generated for faculty and preceptor review.

Conclusions:

• The online CDS offers an innovative solution for evaluating NP students' clinical competencies.
• This tool enhances the dialog and collaboration between students, preceptors, and faculty.
• The CDS supports targeted development of deficient competencies, improving NP education outcomes.