Some important limitations of competency-based education with respect to nurse education: an Australian perspective

Abstract

Issues concerning competency-based education (CBE) have recently promoted much discussion and debate throughout most developed countries. This paper provides an Australian perspective and adds to the wider debate about CBE by deliberating on the part professional competency standards should play in a university curriculum, specifically the undergraduate nurse education curriculum. A position is developed by addressing the following thesis statement: the competency-based approach to nursing education is an indisputable reality but nursing competencies must not be allowed to control the curriculum. Some background material is briefly reviewed in order to situate CBE, nurse education, and nursing competencies in their Australian economic and sociopolitical context. The position is then explicated through an examination of some intersections between nursing competencies and aspects of undergraduate nurse curriculum making.

Assessment Score Comparison of Knowledge and Clinical Reasoning of Medical Student Educated by Bedside or Conference Room Teaching in Internal Medicine Ward

“…13 Chapman believes that overcoming mental judgments in medical students' clinical competency evaluation are difficult. 12 Students taught with the conference room case presentations teaching method earned higher scores in the MCQ exam than those trained with traditional patient bedside teaching manner. However, the results sometimes overlapped and more people are needed to differentiate the methods more precisely.…”

“…It seems that diverse views of several training providers reduce the validity and reliability of student evaluations. 12 In a qualitative study conducted with students by Calman and colleagues, they claimed that clinical assessment instruments pay little attention to clinical skills. 13 Chapman believes that overcoming mental judgments in medical students' clinical competency evaluation are difficult.…”

Collaborative voices: Ongoing reflections on nursing competencies

“…In Australia, professional competency standards are seen as informing the university nursing curriculum, especially at baccalaureate level (Chapman 1999). These standards provide a national framework and identify the legal and professional relationships that nurses have with other professions.…”

“…For the last decade there has been an increasing critique of the notion of competencies. Firstly, while acknowledging the indisputable fact of the competency approach to nursing education, there are increasing voices of debate within the literature that challenge the dominance of the nursing competency rationale in curriculum development (Chapman 1999). The reification of the notion of standardisation is seen to not accommodate the nuances of the myriad of cultural, economic and socio-political contexts of nursing praxis.…”

Video as a Strategy to Evaluate and Assist Clinical Teachers With Student Assessment

“…''It is sometimes easier to determine weaknesses, rather than competencies achieved'' (Fordham, 2005, p. 46). Subjectivity is built into competency assessment because value judgments are a component of such an assessment approach (Chapman, 1999;Chambers, 1998). Subjectivity is built into competency assessment because value judgments are a component of such an assessment approach (Chapman, 1999;Chambers, 1998).…”