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conferenceseries
.com
Volume 8
Journal of Community Medicine & Health Education
Community Nursing 2018
November 19-21, 2018
November 19-21, 2018 Cape Town, South Africa
International Conference on
Community Nursing and Public Health
Importance of effective competency assessment to improve nursing competence and patient safety
Gina Granger
KGH Education Zone, South Africa
O
ne of the biggest challenges in healthcare today; is to ensure a competent workforce to care for patients in an ever changing
work environment. Inpatients are more acutely ill and have shorter length of stay in acute care facilities. This places greater
demand on nurses in the communities; who have to demonstrate competency in caring for increasingly complex patients.
Increasing restrictions on healthcare budgets, staff shortages and higher workloads; place further demands on nurses who
have to provide comprehensive care to meet the complex and diverse needs of patients. It is thus vital that nurses continuously
improve their own clinical competence and critical thinking skills; and use both in their daily practice. Evaluating nursing
competence includes the assessment of Knowledge, Skills and Behavior during patient care. Effective competency assessment is
needed during preceptorship to ensure that a new nurse is adapting and performing well in the new clinical setting. But it should
also continue after the preceptorship period. Nursing mentors must do regular competency assessments with their mentees, to
support continuous growth in knowledge, skills and behavior; and the development of new mentors in the nursing work force.
The speaker developed nursing policies, procedures and competency assessment tools in various healthcare facilities. She had
firsthand experience of the positive effect of effective competency assessment on nursing practice and –competence, which
improves patient care and –safety.
Biography
Gina Granger has completed a Master’s Degree in Nursing, a Bachelor Degree in Nursing Education and Community Health Nursing, a Diploma in Midwifery, a
Diploma in Psychiatric Nursing, Certification in NICU Nursing, Certification as International Board Certified Lactation Consultant and she is a certified AHA BLS Instructor.
gina@1amm.co.zaGina Granger, J Community Med Health Educ 2018, Volume 8
DOI: 10.4172/2161-0711-C6-047