Teaching and Evaluating Health Assessment Competencies in Entry-Level and Advanced-Level Nursing Programs.

Background: The shift to competency-based education (CBE) creates a need to examine methods of teaching and evaluating physical health assessment competencies in entry-level and advanced-level nursing courses.

Method: A national survey, guided by backward design, gathered data on behaviors indicative of physical assessment competency, assessment strategies, and teaching and learning approaches that foster competency development.

Results: Respondents from 54 entry-level and 27 advanced-level programs completed the survey. Data analysis used descriptive statistics to calculate frequencies and percentages. Key findings include a lack of standardized assessment instruments, a limited focus on younger populations, barriers to inclusive and specialized assessments, and time constraints in competency evaluation.

Conclusion: Although some programs have integrated elements of CBE into their physical assessment courses, several gaps must be addressed to ensure the successful implementation of CBE and the preparation of practice-ready graduates.