title: Development and validation of a tool to measure self-confidence and anxiety in nursing students during clinical decision making.
abstract: Clinical decision making (CDM) is a cornerstone skill for nurses. Self-confidence and anxiety affect the learning and adeptness of CDM. This study aimed to develop and test a quantitative tool to assess undergraduate nursing students' self-confidence and anxiety during CDM. The 27-item Nursing Anxiety and Self-Confidence with Clinical Decision Making (NASC-CDM) scale is a 6-point, Likert-type tool with two subscales. Two samples of prelicensure associate and baccalaureate nursing students participated in the pilot (n = 303) and main testing (n = 242) phases of the study. Construct validity assessment, using exploratory factor analysis, produced a stable three-dimensional scale. Convergent validity assessment produced positive, moderate, and statistically significant correlations of the tool sub-scales with two existing instruments. Internal consistency reliability was assessed for each subscale (self-confidence, α = .97; anxiety, α = .96). The NASC-CDM scale may be a useful assessment tool for nurse educators to help novice clinicians improve CDM skills.
authors.forename: Krista A
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: White
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001007:Anxiety; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D002983:Clinical Competence; D003657:Decision Making; D004508:Education, Nursing, Baccalaureate; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D015402:Nursing Education Research; D015403:Nursing Evaluation Research; D010865:Pilot Projects; D011594:Psychometrics; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D020377:Self Efficacy; D013338:Students, Nursing / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D055815:Young Adult