Linking competency-based assessment to successful clinical practice.

Competence is essential for health care professionals; graduates must meet the responsibilities associated with a particular position. At one community college, nursing faculty have used a competency-based approach to educate and evaluate associate degree nursing students. The nursing curriculum is designed to allow for the inclusion of laboratory experiences for each nursing course and requires students to complete a clinical performance examination before advancing to the next level. The examination is designed as a clinical scenario with three to four responsibilities completed in random order. Critical elements developed by faculty are used to assess student competence. The increase in graduates' abilities to complete these skills has been valuable to both employers and graduates. Since 1992, with the implementation of a competency-based curriculum, the program's NCLEX-RN pass rates (98%) have been consistently above the national and state averages.