Objective: To examine the factorial validity of the Team Skills Scale (TSS). The TSS is a 17-item scale developed by Hepburn, Tsukuda, and Fasser (1996). The Scale is purported to assess self-perceived team skills.Data Source: Data for this study were provided by The New York University Geriatric Interdisciplinary Team Training (GITT) Resource Center and were collected as part of the evaluation of the GITT program. The data were collected between January 1997 and June 2000.Study Design: This quasi-experiential study was focused on the trainee (N=1,715) as the unit of analysis. The Model of Individual-Level Team Competencies (Model of I-LTC) served as the conceptual framework and guided a priori specification of the TSS confirmatory factor analysis measurement model. The Model of I-LTC was developed by this author based on review and interpretation of the team literature.Principal Findings: The TSS is a one-factor structure comprised of eight of the original 17 indicators. Also, the revised measurement model was found to be invariant when the data were randomly divided into two equal samples. Finally, the covariance structure model indicated that attitude about the physician as team leader and sole patient care decision-maker had a significant and negative association with variation in responses to the TSS. Attitude about the quality of team delivered patient care had a significant and positive association with variation in responses to the TSS.Conclusion: This study found that the TSS in a single factor structure comprised of eightof the original 17 TSS items. It is believed that the eight items measure self-perceivedteam collaboration skills. Although the factor structure was confirmed by the data, thisdoes not mean that the proposed structure is absolute. It just means that the structure hasnot been falsified. However, it is possible that this constellation of indicators was datadriven. Therefore, further psychometric testing, to include the use of other data sources,is recommended
