Development and validation of a core competency scale for nursing internship supervisors.

Area of Science:

• Nursing Education
• Medical Education
• Healthcare Professional Development

Background:

• Clinical practicums are essential for nursing education, with nursing internship supervisors (NIS) playing a key role.
• Many NIS lack formal educational training, impacting the quality of hands-on experience provided.
• There is a need for a reliable tool to assess the core competencies of NIS.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate a reliable and credible core competency scale specifically for nursing internship supervisors.
• To create an instrument that can accurately measure the essential skills and knowledge of NIS.
• To provide a foundation for targeted training programs for clinical nursing faculty.

Main Methods:

• Utilized the Academy of Medical Educators framework for NIS training.
• Combined literature review, qualitative interviews, and expert consultation for scale development.
• Validated the scale with 1306 participants (653 NIS and 653 students) from three major hospitals.

Main Results:

• Developed the Core Competency Scale for NIS, comprising 39 items across six dimensions.
• Achieved a content validity index of 0.98, indicating strong content relevance.
• Demonstrated high reliability (Cronbach's alpha 0.973–0.990) and strong criterion-related validity (r=0.73, p<0.01).

Conclusions:

• The Core Competency Scale for NIS is a reliable and valid instrument for assessing nursing instructor competencies.
• The scale can effectively guide the development of training programs for clinical nursing faculty.
• This tool supports the enhancement of nursing education quality through improved supervisor skills.