Development and Validation of the Evaluation Form on the Professional Skill of Primary Medical Care Practicum for Nursing Students: Mixed Methods Research

Abstract

Nurses are healthcare workers with important roles in providing support and solving health problems. Professional skills of the primary medical care practicum for nursing students are necessary for development. Therefore, the nursing program focuses on developing graduates with the knowledge and professional skills of nursing. This study aimed to develop a model of a professional skills evaluation form for nursing students and examine its reliability and validity. Data were collected in two phases. In Step 1, qualitative data were collected through interviews with nurse preceptors, students, and instructors. In Step 2, the quantitative phase, a reliability test was conducted on 184 questionnaires after improving the form. Finally, the reliability and validity of the questionnaire were selected by nurse preceptors. The content validity index was 0.67-1.00. Exploratory Factor Analysis: EFA was conducted with Varimax rotation. The exploratory factor analysis revealed that the evaluation form consisted of 2 factors and 11 items. Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin (KMO) was 0.864. The cumulative variance contribution rate was 56.43%. The Cronbach’s α coefficient for the total questionnaire was 0.75. Two factors were (1) Holistic medical practice skills, which assess comprehensive care across physical, mental, social, and spiritual dimensions, as well as leadership and teamwork, and (2) Primary medical care skills, which measure competency in history taking, physical examination, initial diagnosis and treatment, counseling, and practicing under legal and professional ethics with cultural sensitivity.