Psychometric Testing of the Veterans Health Administration Resident Competency Assessment Scale for New Graduate...

Area of Science:

• Nursing Education
• Healthcare Competency Assessment
• Psychometric Analysis

Background:

• The Veterans Health Administration Resident Competency Assessment (VHA RCA) initially comprised 100 items.
• It was designed to evaluate new graduate registered nurse (NGRN) competency.
• The goal was to support nurse residencies and competency-based education.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a more concise item bank for the VHA RCA.
• This involved rigorous psychometric testing of the existing item pool.

Main Methods:

• Classical Test Theory and Item Response Theory were employed.
• Data were analyzed from 542 nurse residents across 81 VHA medical centers.

Main Results:

• Psychometric testing confirmed a unidimensional construct with good model fit and acceptable construct validity.
• Seventy items were retained, demonstrating high reliability (Cronbach's α = .987).
• Negligible differential item functioning was observed.

Conclusions:

• The psychometric evidence supports the validity and reliability of the calibrated VHA RCA.
• The VHA RCA is publicly accessible for assessing NGRN competency.
• It can inform and improve nursing education, research, and practice.