Can degree level practice be assessed?

An analogy can be made between assessment and research. Both assessment and research involve methods of inquiry into a situation, and the philosophical reasoning underpinning that inquiry could be the same. The basic beliefs of the assessor or researcher determine the methods of inquiry undertaken, and postmodern constructivism offers an alternative to the present traditional approaches to community nurse practice assessment. The author believes that emphasis should be placed on the assumption that knowledge is gained through the formation of personal and social constructions. These are derived from personal experience and social interaction and are therefore nebulous, exhibiting many 'truths'. The assessor's own constructions of reality will influence the interpretation of situations, just as the students' will influence the interpretation of community nurse practice. The human complexity of community nurse practice assessment demands that this qualitative approach should be undertaken. The traditional quantitative, scientific inquiry, free from subjectivity, is not suitable for furthering the understanding of complex, changing, human behaviour. Nevertheless, validity and reliability, which are the hallmarks of quantitative research, traditionally have been the supposed indicators of accountability in community nurse assessment. The author argues that the link between accountability and traditional methods of community nurse assessment is tenuous, and the author proposes alternative methods of community nurse practice education and assessment using triangulation as a way of studying human behaviour from more than one standpoint. As Guba & Lincoln (1981) suggest, emphasis will be placed on credibility, acknowledging the importance of sensitivity, conceptual ability, creativity and insight.