Interview of visiting health administrators from the Ministry of Health, Beijing, China. Interview by Wen-Yin Chang

Development and psychometric evaluation of the trauma nurse core competency scale

Background

Trauma, especially severe trauma, has become a significant public health problem worldwide. This postulates higher requirements on the core competence of trauma nurses. However, limited scales exist to assess it validly and reliably. This study aims to develop and evaluate the psychometric properties of the Trauma Nurse Core Competency Scale (TNCCS).

Methods

This study included three stages. First, scale development was based on a broad literature review and two rounds of Delphi expert consultation. Then, a pre-investigation was conducted with 106 trauma nurses, and a formal scale was formed. Finally, scale evaluation of reliability and validity, based on a cross-sectional study, was tested with 1,107 trauma nurses. Content validity and structure validity were used to evaluate the validity of TNCCS. The Cronbach's α coefficient and the split-half reliability coefficient were used to evaluate the reliability of TNCCS.

Results

The final scale contained 46 items under three dimensions, which were Knowledge and skills (21 items), Comprehensive literacy (20 items), and Professionalism & physical and mental health (5 items). The Content Validity Index (CVI) of the total scale was 0.980. The goodness-of-fit indices (χ²/df = 3.547, RMSEA = 0.065, GFI = 0.929, CFI = 0.912, NFI = 0.904, IFI = 0.929) signified a good fit for this model. The Construct Reliability (CR) ranged from 0.89 to 0.98, and the Average Variance Extracted (AVE) ranged from 0.62 to 0.69. The Cronbach's α coefficient of the scale was 0.99, ranging from 0.90 to 0.98 for the subscales. The split-half reliability coefficient was 0.84.

Conclusions

The TNCCS demonstrated good validity and reliability, and it could be used to assess the core competency of trauma nurses. The present study has valuable implications for nursing managers to take corresponding measures to train and improve the core competence of trauma nurses.

Development of competency inventory for registered nurses in the people's republic of china: Scale development

BACKGROUND

Literature review indicated there is no existing nursing competency framework or instrument for Chinese registered nurses. By virtue of its global leadership role in nursing, the International Council of Nurses (ICN) developed an ICN Framework of Competencies for the Generalist Nurses in 2003. On the basis of the ICN's framework, a qualitative study was conducted to explore the expectations of Chinese nurse professionals on nursing competency in the previous study. A competency framework for Chinese registered nurses was formed. This paper describes the development and testing of the Competency Inventory for Registered Nurses (CIRN).

METHODS

A methodological study design was used, consisting of two phases with six steps. A review of literature generated 112 items, which were evaluated by six experts followed by field testing in a purposive sample of 815 Chinese clinical registered nurses. Factor analysis and item analysis were applied to establish the scale's construct validity and reliability.

RESULTS

The final scale consists of seven dimensions with 58 items. The overall scale reliability had a Cronbach's alpha of 0.89; the dimensions Cronbach's alpha ranged from 0.79 to 0.86. In addition, evidence for two other kinds of validity was obtained, which included criterion-related validity (r=0.44, p=0.04) and contrasted-group validity (p<0.001).

CONCLUSION

The CIRN has demonstrated evidence of internal consistency reliability, content validity, and construct validity, and it provides an objective tool for assessing registered nurse competencies in the various areas of clinical practice.

Assessment of AACN baccalaureate nursing education curriculum model in the People's Republic of China: a transcultural exploratory study

This study examines the relevance of The Essentials of Baccalaureate Education for Professional Nursing Practice (American Association of Colleges of Nursing, 1998) to baccalaureate nursing curriculum development in the People's Republic of China. A Likert-type survey was developed to measure Chinese nurse educators' perceptions regarding the 21 key concepts extracted from The Essentials document in both the present curriculum and an ideal curriculum across three dimensions: importance, cultural relevance, and extent of exposure. Surveys were sent to all known baccalaureate nursing programs in China (N = 22) with a 50 percent return rate. Descriptive statistical analyses supported the universality of the majority of the 21 key concepts from The Essentials document. Some of the concepts, however, were not as readily transferable because of differences in the Chinese sociopolitical and cultural contexts for baccalaureate nursing education. Findings from this study lend support for the potential global relevance of The Essentials document. Additional transcultural and comparative studies are recommended to further test the relevance of The Essentials document in other cultures. Meanwhile, international nurse educators need to be aware of the possible limits of adopting The Essentials document without values clarification, critical discrimination, and adaptation to their home cultures.

Globalization of tertiary nursing education in post-Mao China: a preliminary qualitative assessment

This article examines China's collaborative initiatives with Western countries to assess the impact of globalization on Chinese nursing education, especially at the post-secondary level, in the post-Mao era. Through the theoretical framework of mutuality, it evaluates the outcomes of globalization in two broad domains: pedagogy and system-institution-program building. In addition, case studies on two collaborative projects between Chinese nursing programs and Western institutions were conducted to further illustrate the principles of mutuality. This qualitative assessment is primarily based on a systematic review of published studies on the multifaceted dimensions of globalization in Chinese post-secondary nursing education in both English and Chinese nursing literature since 1990. It is supplemented by unpublished documents and data obtained from a research trip to China in 2000. The study concludes that globalization has been, and will remain, one of the major forces underpinning Chinese nursing education (and the nursing profession in general), which is moving towards integration into the global nursing community. However, there is a significant imbalance in the knowledge transfer equation both in the national and international context. Great efforts need to be made to synthesize nursing knowledge in the East and West to achieve an integrative nursing science.

Baccalaureate nursing education curricula in the People's Republic of China: status, issues and reforms

This article examines baccalaureate nursing education curricula in the People's Republic of China. Three 5-year curricula and one 4-year curriculum were content analyzed and contrasted. Findings of this study suggested that: (i) the biomedical model dominated the three 5-year traditional curricula; (ii) political-ideological content permeated all four curricula; and (iii) the reformed curriculum at Peking Union Medical College was a genuine effort toward building a new nursing curriculum model that intended to differentiate nursing education from medical education. In addition, major themes of recent curriculum reforms were highlighted. Recommendations were suggested to improve the outcomes of future curriculum endeavors. Explicit as well as implicit comparisons with an ideal-typical American generic baccalaureate nursing curriculum were made when appropriate.