Validation of a new assessment tool for a pediatric nursing simulation module

Area of Science:

• Nursing Education
• Clinical Assessment
• Psychometrics

Background:

• The Lasater Clinical Judgment Rubric (LCJR) is a standard for evaluating student clinical judgment.
• Developing scenario-specific tools is crucial for accurate assessment in nursing education.

Purpose of the Study:

• To create a scenario-specific clinical judgment assessment tool based on the LCJR.
• To evaluate the psychometric properties and assessment capabilities of this new tool.

Main Methods:

• Content validity was confirmed by an expert panel.
• Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses (EFA & CFA) were used for psychometric evaluation.
• Convergent validity was assessed using critical thinking measures.

Main Results:

• A three-factor model was identified and confirmed via EFA and CFA.
• The assessment tool was validated on 250 undergraduate nursing students in Seoul, South Korea.
• Internal consistency, measured by Cronbach's alpha, was 0.825.

Conclusions:

• The developed assessment tool is a reliable and valid instrument for evaluating nursing student clinical judgment.
• This new tool can aid nursing faculty in developing and implementing effective assessment strategies.
• Findings support the use of scenario-specific tools for enhancing clinical judgment assessment in nursing programs.