Developing core competencies for clinical nurse educators: An e-Delphi-study.

Area of Science:

• Nursing Education
• Healthcare Professional Development

Background:

• Clinical nurse educators are vital for developing nursing staff and students.
• Existing core competencies for clinical nurse educators lack validation for specific clinical settings.
• Defining core competencies can guide the selection, training, and evaluation of clinical nurse educators.

Purpose of the Study:

• To establish the core competencies for clinical nurse educators in China.

Main Methods:

• Focus group interviews and a two-round e-Delphi method were employed.
• Data were collected from 61 participants (nurse managers, educators, staff nurses, students) and 25 experts.
• A preliminary competency set was refined through expert consensus using statistical analysis.

Main Results:

• Consensus was reached on four primary competency areas: clinical teaching, clinical nursing skills, management and leadership, and innovation and research.
• 16 specific competencies and 57 connotations were identified and validated.
• High consensus levels (>75%) and statistical significance (CV < 0.25, Kendall's W 0.169-0.503) were achieved.

Conclusions:

• Explicit core competencies for clinical nurse educators provide a standardized framework.
• These competencies are applicable across diverse clinical settings.
• The findings offer a valuable reference for selecting, training, and evaluating clinical nurse educators.