title: Measuring student perceptions of clinical competence.
abstract: In a large, southwestern, Gulf coast school of nursing, the faculty sought additional information to enhance their clinical evaluations of students. To gather such information, the faculty developed a rapid and psychometrically sound evaluation tool that elicited students' self-efficacy beliefs for newly learned clinical skills, and the perceived importance of the clinical skills they were mastering. The Self-Efficacy for Clinical Evaluation Scale (SECS) is a 30-item, dual-response scale that demonstrates strong psychometric properties. Scores on the SECS help faculty identify skills or content areas that students feel little confidence in using, even when students value those skills or content as very important. These insights are assisting course leaders in tailoring the course structure and teaching strategies to better meet students' educational and practice needs.
authors.affiliation: School of Nursing, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX 77555-1029, USA. mclark@utmb.edu
authors.forename: Michele C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Clark
authors.forename: Steven V
authors.initials: SV
authors.lastname: Owen
authors.forename: Michele A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Tholcken
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D019090:Case Management; D002908:Chronic Disease / Q000451:nursing; D002983:Clinical Competence / Q000592:standards*; D004508:Education, Nursing, Baccalaureate / Q000592:standards*; D005163:Factor Analysis, Statistical; D006801:Humans; D017145:Models, Educational; D008960:Models, Psychological; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D020380:Needs Assessment; D015402:Nursing Education Research / Q000379:methods / Q000592:standards; D015397:Program Evaluation / Q000379:methods / Q000592:standards; D011594:Psychometrics; D020377:Self Efficacy; D012647:Self-Assessment; D015206:Southwestern United States; D013338:Students, Nursing / Q000523:psychology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires / Q000592:standards*