A concept analysis of competence and its transition in nursing
Introduction
The general public assumes the registered nurse (RN) to be competent in the execution of tasks and duties expected of the profession (Eraut, 1994). The term competence is a concept which is internationally applied in reference to professional people of all kinds, but especially so in relation to nursing practice. It is considered an essential ingredient when measuring a practitioner's ability to provide effective nursing care (Watson, 2002). Competence however, is generally regarded as an elusive entity when it comes to its actual meaning. Watson et al. (2002, p.422) argued that “competence is a somewhat nebulous concept which is defined in different ways by different people” and there is no universal definition of competence although the concept is integral to the principles of many nurse educational programmes (Milligan, 1998). Ambivalent definitions of what genuinely comprises of competence are not solely a challenge for nursing, but have significance for many other professional groups such as teachers, solicitors and doctors (Eraut, 1994, Epstein and Hundert, 2002).
The aim of this concept analysis was to examine and critically analyse the available evidence base surrounding competence, the focus being to identify any significant influences that inform professional understanding, which in turn would influence practical implementation within contemporary nursing practice.
Section snippets
Method
A concept analysis may be rationalised for the purpose of theory development, understanding and operationalising of certain terms of which a variety of models exist (Paley, 1996). One adaptation commonly used is Walker and Avant's (1988) systematic approach, it's objectives lay in identifying the concepts ‘defining attributes’, therefore advocates that the investigator follows eight steps so that the actual meanings of the concept may be explained. The eight steps include: selecting the
Nurse Education
In the United Kingdom (UK) the last two decades have seen all nurse education programmes transfer to Higher Education Institutes. Competence is firmly embedded in pre-registration nurse education which has led to it becoming a controversial issue, particularly when clinical competence and elements of the more formal educational preparation appeared to be in conflict because of the stereotypical norm and the general perception was that universities prefer scientific rather than professional
Discussion
The expectations and timing in the career of a competent practitioner may be quite varied from being fit to practice, to being fit for purpose to having attributes defined by Benner as that of the expert who has deep understandings, a vision of the possible options and has a well developed analytical ability (Benner, 1984). Is competence a prerequisite for the qualified practitioner which provides the platform for their transition to experienced practitioner or do we continue to measure the
Conclusion
Walker and Avant's (2005) strategy for concept analysis, in its adapted form, did achieve its original intention of giving structure to the concept analysis process, yet the concept chosen for analysis has led to more questions than conclusions, thus supporting Paley's (1996) argument that concept clarification can be an arbitrary and vacuous exercise. This concept analysis has identified how influential academics and professional bodies have attempted to provide context specific definitions of
Acknowledgments
Sincere thanks to Professor Peter Bradshaw for his guidance and support.
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