Application of qualitative content analysis for identifying performance evaluation domains of nurse faculties

BackgroundNurse faculty members are the backbone of nursing schools to move toward their mission and goals. Therefore, their performance should be identified and evaluated to identify the attainment of organizational goals.  Purpose The purpose of this qualitative study was to identify main performance evaluation domains of nurse faculty members. MethodsData were collected by individual semi-structured interviews with authorities and inspection of actual evaluation forms, procedures and policies. The qualitative content analysis was applied in 22 transcriptions of the individual interviews and 26 sets of actual evaluation documents. The purposive sampling method was used for the selection of experts and all actual evaluation forms, procedures and policies were collected. ResultsThree main domains including personal competencies of lecturer, process of task accomplishment as well as task outcome and their components were abstracted by the analysis. ConclusionEvaluation of the three domains emphasizes on mix combination of three primary systems for performance evaluation of nurse faculty members, namely, personal competencies, process-based and mission-based.      Keywords: Performance evaluation domains, Nurse faculty members, Qualitative content                   analysis

Performance evaluation of the faculty in some universities

Abstract Background: Faculty members are the most significant personnel of a university. Evaluation of their performance is an important factor in the organization and the main task of managers in professional development and promotion. Performance evaluation of nursing faculty members is more complex than others, but it is necessary because one of the primary ways to assure mission accomplishment and goal achievement in medical universities is to indicate the role of faculty members in promoting the quality of health system. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to review evaluation systems of faculty members at some of the major universities and schools around the world. Methods: By using available resources, some of the advantages and strengths of the evaluation systems were specifically extracted to be applied for evaluation improvement at Iranian universities.   Conclusion: This study showed that in spite of extensive areas of performance, most colleges/universities evaluate three major domains, namely, education, research and services. The quality and quantity of these areas are evaluated by using multiple sources. The effective evaluation is flexible and allows a person to choose their activities in the defined framework. By choosing and weighing criteria along with the missions and strategic goals of universities/colleges, the level of faculty efforts and contributions in accomplishing them is recognized. Using mentoring system for outcome evaluation is an important factor for the promotion of faculty members. The evaluation process can be more feasible if evaluation committee consists of the same disciplinary members.  Key words: Performance evaluation systems, Faculty members, Nursing                  Schools

Effects of an educational system on conception and skills of nursing students in clinical training

IntroductionAn education system is a collection of programs, methods and materials accordantly facilitating the achievement of special educational goals for learners. Designing an education system is prescribing or predicting desired educational methods to achieve expected changes in students’ knowledge, skills and emotions. With respect to the necessity of a particular type of learning or approach for each stage of knowledge acquisition, compound education methods may ease students to attain learning goals. The Purpose of this quasi-experimental study was to determine the effects of a compound education method of clinical training on conception and skill levels of sophomore nursing students in their cardiac clinical training.  Materials and MethodsWhat was named compound educational method in this study had been derived from theories of David Asubel, Hilda Taba and Floyd Robinson, through which a mix of two data-processing teaching methods, namely, inductive thinking and advanced organizer models were applied. 57 students were randomly divided into 2 control (28) and experimental (29) groups and taught during a 12-day lesson plan (1 credit unit of clinical training in cardiac ward). 3 main advanced organizers (clinical examination, chest X-ray study and assessment of cardiac patients) and oxygen therapy, respiratory physiotherapy as well as ECG reading were instructed and practiced. Some topics were also studied through clinical conference as well as group discussion and 8 critical situations for decision-making were practiced. All subjects were tested on the 1st, 7th and 12th day of training. For the control group, the routine educational program was provided. Data collection tools included feedback cards, observation form for skill assessment and a questionnaire for drug information. ResultsPre-and posttest scores were significantly higher in the experimental group than the control group in all educational domains.   ConclusionThe compound method seems more effective on improving the cognition and skills of nursing student

Proposing indicators for the development of nursing care quality in Iran

Background: Nursing has come a long way in developing frameworks for the delivery of high-quality care; however, it is still grappling with identifying key performance indicators and defining the patient outcomes that are directly or indirectly affected by nurses. Objective: The study aimed to determine performance quality indicators in nursing care based on the healthcare system in Iran. Methods: A descriptive exploratory study was conducted and 220 nurses from seven provinces in Iran were selected by quota sampling. A questionnaire including 97 indicators in seven categories was developed to collect data and respondents were asked to rate each indicator for importance, scientific acceptability and feasibility of implementation. Results: Of the initial 220 distributed questionnaires, 74% (n = 119) nurse managers and 26% (n = 42) expert nurses (total: n = 161) returned questionnaires (73% response rate). The mean scores for all categories showed that the most of the indicators were important and scientifically acceptable (mean > 2.40), but difficult to implement in hospitals (mean < 2.15). An analysis using ANOVA showed that there were no significant differences between seven categories for the ‘importance’ aspect, but there were significant differences between ‘time and quality of care’ and ‘job satisfaction’, for ‘scientific acceptability’ (P = 0.004) and significant differences between most of categories for ‘feasibility of implication’(P = 0.000). Conclusion: The researchers have proposed the most significant nursing quality indicators for the clinical setting in Iran. These indicators would be useful for nurse managers as a first step to assess the quality of nursing care in hospitals