Nursing students’ integration of theoretical knowledge and practical abilities is facilitated by their practice of nursing skills in a clinical environment. A key role of preceptors is to assess the learning goals that nursing students must meet while participating in clinical practice. Consequently, the purpose of this study was to explore the current evidence in relation to competency assessment and assessment approaches, and the willingness of preceptors for assessing nursing students’ competency in a clinical setting. The scoping review used the five-stage methodological framework that was developed by Arksey and O’Malley, as well as the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses Extension for Scoping Reviews. Relevant studies were searched by applying a comprehensive literature search strategy up to April 2024 across the following databases: CINAHL, OVID MEDLINE, EMBASE, and PUBMED. A total of 11,297 studies published between 2000 and April 2024 were revealed, and 38 were eligible for inclusion, which the research team categorised into three main themes: definitions of competence, tools for assessing competence and preceptors’ and mentors’ viewpoints in relation to the assessment of nursing students’ competence. This review established that there are a multitude of quantitative instruments available to assess clinical competence; however, a lack of consistency among assessment instruments and approaches between countries and higher education institutions is prevalent. Existing research evidence suggests that the preceptors carried out the assessment process clinically and they found difficulties in documenting assessment. The assessing of nursing students’ competency and the complexity of assessment is a concern for educators and mentors worldwide. The main concern centers around issues such as the interpretation of competence and complex measurement tools.

Background: Effective leadership is critical in driving and motivating registered nurses to provide high‐quality patient care. A link between effective transformational leadership (TL) in nursing and improved patient care outcomes has been established, but it is unknown how this association is affected. Aim: To examine the relationships between TL, structural empowerment (SE), registered nurses’ clinical leadership (CLS) and patient care outcomes. Methods: This quantitative cross‐sectional study was conducted in a government tertiary hospital in Saudi Arabia, with 1038 registered nurses clustered under 28 head nurses. Instruments used included the Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire, Conditions of Work Effectiveness Questionnaire II, clinical leadership survey and self‐reported measures of patient adverse events (AEs) and nursing care quality. Data were analysed using SPSS Version 28 and the R 4.3.3 packages ‘lavaan’, ‘semPlot’ and ‘semTools’ for multilevel structural equation modelling (MSEM). Results: Six hundred and sixty‐four surveys (response rate = 70%) were analysed. Multilevel analysis showed a significant positive association between TL and SE ( β = 0.56, p < 0.001) and SE and registered nurses’ clinical leadership ( β = 0.52, p < 0.001). Registered nurses’ clinical leadership was positively associated with quality of care ( β = 0.32, p < 0.001) and negatively associated with AEs ( β = −0.15, p < 0.001). Mediation analysis indicated a significant indirect effect of TL on registered nurses’ clinical leadership through SE ( B = 0.344, p < 0.001). SE was also indirectly associated with patient AEs through registered nurses’ clinical leadership ( B = −0.037, p = 0.003) and quality of nursing care (QOC) through registered nurses’ clinical leadership ( B = 0.147, p < 0.001). Conclusions: The study highlights the critical role that SE and nurses’ clinical leadership play in explaining how TL is associated with improved patient care. These findings provide evidence to support policy and training initiatives that develop leadership frameworks, ensuring a more empowered and effective nursing workforce capable of delivering high‐quality patient care.

Oversubscribed social work (SW) courses and a workforce review in Northern Ireland prompted a review of admissions, to ensure recruitment of applicants with strong core values. Concerns regarding authorship, plagiarism and reliability of personal statements, and calls for values-based recruitment underpinned this research. This study evaluates psychometric properties of an SW specific personal statement (PS) and a values-based psychological screening tool, Social Work Match (SWM). Social Work students (n = 112), who commenced the 3-year undergraduate route (UGR) or the 2-year relevant graduate route (RGR) were invited to participate. Their PS scores and SWM scores permitted investigation of scoring outcomes and psychometric properties. Statistical analysis was conducted using Minitab 17. Forty-nine participants (5 male, 44 female) completed SWM on two occasions (October 2020 and January 2021). Findings provide practical, theoretical, statistical, and qualitative reasons for concluding that the PS has substantial limitations as a measure of suitability. It does not compare well with international test standards for psychometric tests. In contrast, SWM is a valid and reliable measure with good discriminatory power, standardized administration and consistent marking. SWM is a viable alternative to the PS for assessing suitability/shortlisting applicants for social work interviews.

A study to evaluate the introduction of simulation as a teaching strategy for the mental health and learning disability fields of nursing in an undergraduate nursing curriculum within one higher education institution in the UK

Background: A review of admissions to nursing in Northern Ireland was prompted by the growing number of applications and a desire to ensure that the applicants had the right values for a career in nursing. Concerns regarding authorship, plagiarism and reliability of personal statements used to select applicants to interview was the focus of this research. This study evaluates the psychometric properties of a Personal Statement (PS) as a method for admission to a nursing programme and a values-based psychological screening tool, Nurse Match (NM). Methods: A self-selecting, purposive sample (n = 228; 9.7%) was drawn from applicants to Schools of Nursing in the United Kingdom (n = 2350). Participants all of whom had completed a Personal Statement were asked to complete a psychological tool and the scoring outcomes and psychometric properties of both tests were investigated. Statistical analysis was conducted using Minitab 17. Results: Applicants from 18 schools and five colleges responded. The majority (72.4%) were aged 18–19. Findings provide practical, theoretical, statistical, and qualitative reasons for concluding that the Personal Statement has substantial limitations as a measure of suitability. It does not compare well with international test standards for psychometric tests. In contrast, NM is a valid and reliable measure with good discriminatory power, standardised administration and consistent marking. Conclusion: NM is a viable alternative to the PS for shortlisting applicants for nursing interviews.