Virtual Mandatory Skills

The clinical nurse education department is responsible for coordinating and facilitating annual mandatory skills competency demonstrations for clinical staff to validate knowledge and skills as required by the regulating agencies. Historically these competencies are completed via simulation with clinical nurse educator or super user after successful review of LMS pre-requisite education. As we have progressed through challenges associated with staffing shortages and COVID-related limitations, staff have had difficulty meeting the requirements of competency validation despite offering a variety of options such as frequent mandatory skills fairs, clinical educator time on units for competencies, increasing the number of super users on units, etc.

As the challenges of COVID have impacted the healthcare industry, research on virtual competency evaluation has begun in the academic realm. Palmer, Chisholm, Rolf & Morris validated the use of self-video recording as a method to validate clinical skill competency in nursing students (2021). The conclusion of this study found that “student success using remote assessment strategies during the spring 2020 semester was similar to the success rate using traditional skill assessment methods in fall 2019.” Similarly, virtual OSCE assessment for student NPs has been validated as an effective method of evaluation, and also “all stakeholders expressed satisfaction with the experience.”

The clinical educators piloted virtual mandatory skills as an additional option for staff to meet their required competency validation in both inpatient and outpatient settings in 2023. This option did not replace existing traditional methods but is an available alternative for those that choose to participate.

Participation in VMS has the same prerequisite requirements as traditional methods, staff first complete prerequisite education in the LMS, as required. Staff then view clinical educator video demonstration of competency in order to ensure that expectations of skill are clear to the staff member. They are provided with all props and supplies necessary for successful completion. Checklists of expectations for each competency are available for reference. Staff use their own digital device to record themselves performing the competency. Staff upload their video to flip for review by clinical educator and the clinical educator provides feedback to staff via email and provide tracker credit for competency that is validated. If staff requires remediation, in-person competency validation may be arranged.

This process has proven to be successful in our outpatient settings from both a front-line staff and manager perspective. Staff expressed satisfaction with convenience of virtual option in comparison to in-person options. Managers expressed satisfaction with time to complete competency in comparison to in-person options. Post-pilot, we will be offering VMS to our entire institution as an additional option to traditional competency offerings.