INTERACTION BETWEEN TEACHING COMPETENCY DEVELOPMENT TRAINING COURSE AND GENERAL NURSE PRACTITIONER TRAINGING COURSE (PRIMARY MEDICAL CARE) AFFECTING NURSING STUDENTS’ MENTORS’ COMPETENCY

Abstract

        This quantitative research aimed to study level of competency of nursing students’ mentors and interaction between experience in teaching competency development training course and general nurse practitioner training course (primary medical care) affecting nursing students’ mentors’ competency. The samples recruited by simple random sampling were 140 registered nurses working for Outpatient and Emergency Departments at community hospitals in Songkhla and Phattalung provinces. The instrument was a questionnaire validated for contents by a panel of 3 experts. The instrument had IOC ranging from .67-1.00 and had Cronbach alpha coefficient reliability of .93. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and two-way ANOVA. The research results were as follows:

1. Competency of nursing students’ mentors, overall, was at a good level (= 3.88, SD = 0.40). When considering each aspect, it was found that all aspects were at a good level. Aspect of empowerment had the highest mean score (= 3.93, SD = 0.45), followed by aspect of counseling (= 3.90, SD = 0.48), and aspect of team leader (= 3.90, SD = 0.47). Aspect of teaching had the least mean score (= 3.82, SD = 0.43).
2. There was no interaction between experience in teaching competency development training course and general nurse practitioner training course (primary medical care) affecting nursing students’ mentors’ competency (F = .124, p = .725)

            Therefore, college and practice settings should encourage nursing students’ mentors to have high level of all competencies, particularly, teaching competency.