MIXED METHODS APPROACH IN EMPLOYERS’ ASSESSMENT OF NURSING GRADUATES’ COMPETENCES

Abstract

Faculty programmes are supposed to address employers’ needs and expectations, therefore research in a form of employers’ needs assessment and employers’ satisfaction with graduates is recommended. Nursing graduates are not only expected to meet employers’ expectations, but also master key competences of Competence Framework, prescribed by European Federation of Nurses Associations (EFN). Nursing profession is highly regulated; nursing students have to be capable to deliver effective and safe nursing care to vulnerable individuals, and to work independently as soon as possible after graduation. Angela Boškin Faculty of Health Care conducted two studies of employers’ assessment of nursing graduates’ competences: standardised quantitative questionnaire among employers and three focus groups with employers (for each health care level separately). The purpose of this article is to combine both approaches to acquire in-depth knowledge on competences of graduates of the faculty, namely: how much knowledge and competences do they achieve in various clinical areas and which competences are the most and which the least developed.

Keywords

• nursing competences
• quantitative research
• qualitative research