Relationship Between Emotional Intelligence and Clinical Performance in Student Registered Nurse Anesthetists.

Area of Science:

• Nursing Education
• Psychology
• Healthcare Performance Metrics

Background:

• Emotional intelligence (EI) encompasses recognizing, understanding, and managing emotions.
• Effective EI is increasingly recognized as vital for healthcare professionals.
• The role of EI in predicting clinical performance among student registered nurse anesthetists (SRNAs) requires further investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the utility of the Mayer-Salovey-Caruso Emotional Intelligence Test Version 2.0 (MSCEIT V2.0) as a screening tool for SRNAs.
• To determine if EI scores predict clinical performance in SRNAs.
• To explore the relationship between specific EI abilities and clinical outcomes in nurse anesthesia students.

Main Methods:

• A pilot study involving 11 participants in a single nurse anesthesia program.
• Correlation analysis between MSCEIT V2.0 scores and formative clinical evaluation data.
• Examination of relationships between EI facets and objective clinical performance measures.

Main Results:

• Participants generally met established clinical performance objectives.
• SRNAs demonstrated limitations in using emotions for problem-solving and recognizing others' emotions.
• A potential negative correlation between certain EI deficits and clinical performance was suggested.

Conclusions:

• The MSCEIT V2.0 may serve as a useful screening instrument for identifying potential EI-related challenges in SRNAs.
• EI abilities, particularly emotional problem-solving and recognition, could significantly influence future SRNA clinical performance.
• Further research with larger cohorts is warranted to validate these findings and inform curriculum development.