A growing demand for perioperative nurses, insufficient interest in the perioperative nursing specialty, and nurse retirements have resulted in a perioperative nursing workforce shortage. Undergraduate nursing students’ limited exposure to perioperative content, along with facility hiring practices that exclude recently graduated nurses, further contribute to this shortage. To address these concerns, a large health care system in the midwestern United States partnered with a college of nursing to institute a perioperative preceptorship for baccalaureate nursing students during their final semester. After completing the preceptorship, students reported increased understanding of perioperative nursing roles and responsibilities, time management, and patient safety skills; ability to work effectively as a part of an interdisciplinary team; and independence in the perioperative setting. Future study is needed to examine rates of matriculation among program graduates into perioperative nursing positions and the program’s effect on the length of orientation for recently graduated nurses and nurse retention.
INTRODUCTION Although the prevalence of interprofessional education (IPE) is increasing, research measuring competency in IPE is underdeveloped (MacDonald et al., 2010; Shrader et al., 2017). Interprofessional assessment tools are plentiful, but most rely on self-report rather than performance data. Thus, the purpose of this study was to develop a computer-based situational judgment test to evaluate health professional student preparedness for interprofessional practice.
METHODS The investigators developed the Creighton Interprofessional Situational Judgment Test (C-IPSJT) which includes nine interprofessional clinical case scenarios, each with multiple questions reflecting IPEC competencies. Subsequently, focus groups representing both IPE and health education experts were convened to assess the C-IPSJT.
RESULTS Qualitative analysis revealed several themes. Participants found that the C-IPSJT was a novel assessment of interprofessional skills and case scenarios presented were reflective of current clinical practice. Challenges were found in understanding the role of the test taker, discerning correct responses, and the need for further validity testing. Additional themes included the impact team dynamics have on learner responses and how student responses could be affected by their place on the learning continuum.
DISCUSSION Findings from the initial testing of the C-IPSJT demonstrate positive content validity through two independent content expert reviews. Content experts identified that the C-IPSJT could be a viable mechanism to differentiate between novice and competent health professional students. Future research includes item revision, testing over a larger sample in which psychometric properties and item analysis can be studied, and establishing content validity.
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