title: A new view: tele-intensive care unit competencies.
abstract: BACKGROUND Many hospitals have well-planned nursing competency assessment programs, but these are meant to measure competency in traditional bedside roles, not in tele-intensive care unit (tele-ICU) nurses practicing remotely. OBJECTIVE To determine whether current tele-ICU programs have a formal competency assessment program and to determine when and how competency of tele-ICU nurses is assessed. Method A 20-question survey was provided to a convenience sample of the 44 known tele-ICU programs nationally. RESULTS Of the surveys distributed, 75% were completed and returned. A formal competency assessment policy for assessing nurses' competency at the time of hire, during orientation, and ongoing was in place at the workplaces of 85% of respondents. The most common methods for competency validation were performance appraisal and observation, although peer review and self-assessment also were used. Respondents identified the following competencies as the highest priorities for defining tele-ICU nurse practice: effective listening, prioritization, collaboration, and effective use of tele-ICU application tools. CONCLUSION Although awaiting development of professional practice standards, many tele-ICU programs currently measure the competence of tele-ICU nurses through competency programs.
authors.forename: Susan F
authors.initials: SF
authors.lastname: Goran
mesh_terms: D002983:Clinical Competence; D006801:Humans; D007362:Intensive Care Units; D015403:Nursing Evaluation Research; D009741:Nursing Staff, Hospital / Q000592:standards*; D017216:Telemedicine / Q000592:standards*