Date Awarded

1999

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Education (Ed.D.)

Department

Education

Advisor

David Leslie

Abstract

Rising health care costs, introduction of new technologies, changing societal demographics and changes in reimbursement policies and practices are some of the forces creating an urgent need for a more efficient and effective health care delivery system. With the growth of managed care and the delivery of health care increasingly in community-based settings, the roles and responsibilities of health care personnel, especially nurses are also changing.;The purpose of this descriptive study was to identify the knowledge, skills, and abilities graduates of basic nursing education programs need, upon entry to practice, to function across work settings. Nursing staff, nurse executives and nursing faculty within the Commonwealth of Virginia were surveyed. their perceptions of required competencies were compared and contrasted.;Although faculty rated Critical Thinking/Problem Solving and Psychosocial Skills significantly more important than did nursing staff and nurse executives, there was general consensus among the three groups regarding the core competencies for new graduates. When comparing acute care, long term care and community-based health care settings, there were no statistically significant differences in the core competencies identified by nurses from these settings. Five competency constructs, representing 19 competencies, were identified as essential for new graduates. Also, respondents identified six additional competencies. Further study is needed to empirically confirm the identified competencies. It is anticipated that these research findings will be used by nursing faculty for curricula design and revision. In addition, staff development educators and continuing education providers may also use the findings for design of orientation and career development programs.

DOI

https://dx.doi.org/doi:10.25774/w4-f4xe-v993

Rights

© The Author

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