Purpose of Analysis Despite its vital role in patient safety, there is not a formally accepted definition of competence for healthcare professionals (Institute of Medicine, 2003, p. 24). The purpose of this analysis is to explore existing literature to expand understanding and cultivate development of this concept personally as well as in others.
Competence Defined Merrian-Webster (n.d.) defined competence as “the quality or state of being functionally adequate”. Sandberg (2000) defined competence from a managerial standpoint as, “a worker’s knowledge, skills, and other attributes used in accomplishing work” or “the worker’s way of conceiving work that make up, form, and organize their knowledge and skills into performing their work”. Takase and …show more content…
The criteria for nurses include: knowledge, critical thinking, professionalism, skills, motivation, and experience.
Walker and Avant (2005, p. 69) stated that to be considered a model case of a concept, the case must exhibit all identified attributes and criteria of that concept. KM has been a registered nurse for four years. Following graduation she started working a large medical-surgical telemetry unit. In spite of difficult patient assignments, KM believed each patient deserved the best care possible. For her, that started with a full assessment at the beginning of her shift. Using her knowledge, proficient skills, critical thinking, and experience she prioritized professional and safe nursing care for each of her patients. Motivated to continue the learning process and expand her knowledge base she enrolled in a Masters of nursing