Development and validation of a clinical assessment tool for postgraduate nursing education: A consensus-group study

Pass or fail: Teachers' experience of assessment of postgraduate critical care nursing students' competence in placement. A qualitative study

BACKGROUND

Learning in placement is essential to postgraduate critical care nursing students' education. Assessment of students' competence in placement is important to ensure highly qualified postgraduate critical care nurses. The placement model applied in Norway involves students being assessed by a preceptor in practice and a teacher from the university. The teacher has a more distant role in placement, and the aim of this study was to explore how the teachers experience the assessment of postgraduate critical care nursing students' competence in placement. Additionally, to explore the content of assessment documents used for postgraduate critical care nursing placement education in Norway.

METHODS

This study has a qualitative design with main data collection from individual interviews with 10 teachers from eight universities and colleges in Norway. Additionally, we performed a document analysis of assessment documents from all 10 universities and colleges providing postgraduate critical care nursing education in Norway. We followed the Consolidated Criteria for Reporting Qualitative Research.

RESULTS

The teachers experienced the assessment of postgraduate critical care nursing students' competence in placement as important but complex, and some found it difficult to determine what critical care nursing competence is at advanced level. A thematic analysis resulted in one main theme: "Teacher facilitates the bridging between education and practice." Furthermore, three themes were identified: "Assessment based on trust and shared responsibility"; "The teacher's dual role as judge and supervisor"; and "A need for common, clear and relevant assessment criteria".

CONCLUSIONS

Teachers have a key role in placement as they contribute to the bridging between education and practice by providing valuable pedagogical and academic input to the assessment process. We suggest that more teachers should be employed in joint university and clinical positions to enhance the collaboration between practice and education. Clear and relevant assessment criteria are essential for providing assessment support for both students and educators. Education and practice should collaborate on developing assessment criteria. Further, there is a need to collaborate on developing, both nationally and internationally, common, clear, relevant and user-friendly assessment tools.

An integrative literature review of kidney transplantation knowledge tools

PURPOSE

This study aimed to identify knowledge measurement tools for kidney transplantation (KT) and confirm their assessment methods, domains, and validity to provide useful information.

DESIGN

An integrative review based on Whittemore and Knafl's (2005) framework and the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) 2020 guidelines.

METHODS

An integrative search was conducted using four English databases (PubMed, Embase, CINAHL, and the Cochrane Library) and the top three Korean databases (RISS, DBpia, and KISS). Search terms and strategies included ("kidney transplant*" OR "renal transplant*" OR "kidney replace*" OR "renal replace*" OR "kidney graft" OR "renal graft") & (knowledge OR awareness) & (scale OR tool OR instrument OR questionnaire OR inventory). The time limit was set to February 2022. The extracted data included the content of the tools, participants, and psychometrics. Quality of life was assessed using a psychometric grading framework.

RESULTS

A total of 15 studies and 13 tools were reviewed. Of these, seven studies (46.7%) targeted KT patients, five (33.3%) targeted KT candidates, and three (20.0%) included both groups. The number of items in the tools ranged from five to 33 items. Furthermore, seven tools comprised true-false questions and eight multiple-choice questions. The domains of the KT knowledge measurement tool used in each study differed across study participants. Both reliability and validity were confirmed in six tools, and only two showed a grade of "adequate" or higher.

CONCLUSION

A validated tool is required to measure KT knowledge. These tools can be used to evaluate the effectiveness of educational interventions in promoting self-management after KT.

PROTOCOL REGISTRATION NUMBER

CRD42022334559.

Assessment methods and tools to evaluate postgraduate critical care nursing students' competence in clinical placement. An integrative review

AIM

To provide an overview of assessment methods and tools to evaluate postgraduate critical care nursing students' competence in clinical placement and to identify recommendations for future assessment methods.

BACKGROUND

The purpose of postgraduate critical care nursing education is to educate professional, competent and caring critical care nurses and high-quality assessment strategies in clinical placement are of most importance.

DESIGN

An integrative review following Whittemore and Knafl's framework and Prisma 2020 guidelines for systematic reviews.

METHODS

Systematic searches were performed in June 2020 with an update in April 2021 using the following: Academic Search Premier, British Nursing Index, CINAHL, MEDLINE, SveMed+, Web of Science and the Joanna Briggs Institute databases. The systematic literature search and hand search yielded 380 studies. After screening and checking for eligibility, fifteen studies published between 2005 and 2020 were included in this review. The included studies were critically appraised using the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool for empirical studies and the Joanna Briggs Institute Critical Appraisal tool for literature reviews.

RESULTS

Four qualitative, six quantitative, three mixed-methods and two literature review studies were included in this review. We identified that competence in postgraduate critical care nursing is a multidimensional concept and it is recommended to use a combination of assessment methods like self-assessment, observation and mentor evaluation. It is necessary to have discussions and reflections between the student, preceptor and lecturer, as well as written self- and mentor evaluation to provide formative and summative feedback to the students. The need to provide consistency and objectivity resulted in the development of competency assessment tools and they were mostly developed and validated as a collaboration between clinical sites and educational institutions. Most of the assessment tools consisted of domains reflecting holistic nursing, including both technical and non-technical skills. Domains reflecting evidence-based nursing practice were less common.

CONCLUSIONS

We need valid and reliable instruments to assess postgraduate critical care nursing student's competence in placement. Innovation and further research regarding effective and accessible assessment methods, such as digital assessment tools, are needed to meet future needs. This may also stimulate collaboration to improve the international inconsistency in critical care nursing educations. We should be working towards common, international educational competence descriptions and assessment tools that are in line with the ever-changing critical care environment, including holistic nursing and continuous learning.

Challenges in the assessment of nursing students in clinical placements: Exploring perceptions among nurse mentors

AIM

The aim was to explore how nurse mentors experience the assessment of nursing students in clinical placements at hospitals and in municipal health care.

DESIGN

The study is qualitative with an explorative and descriptive design.

METHODS

Based on an interview guide, we conducted 19 individual qualitative interviews and four focus group interviews with nurse mentors from various levels and fields of nursing education at a Norwegian university.

RESULTS

Feedback in and on action was an integrated part of the formative assessment. In the summative assessment, where the university lecturer also participates, the nurse mentors perceived their role as passive. A disturbing finding was that divergent views on the student's competence sometimes occurred in these situations, thus challenging the credibility of the student assessment. Perceptions of nursing values and concerns embedded in nursing practice as collective criteria appear to have an impact on the mentors' assessment of the nursing students.