Evaluating a competency framework for rheumatology nurses

The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) competency framework for rheumatology nurses was developed in 2020. As part of the framework proposal, a service evaluation was planned following the framework's roll-out to determine its usefulness and acceptability. The aim of this evaluation was to explore rheumatology nurse specialists' answers to the research question: 'What was your experience of using the RCN's rheumatology competency framework?' A total of 14 rheumatology nurse specialists were interviewed and shared their opinions regarding the competency framework. Five themes were identified: personal usage; benefits to managers; inequalities and inequity in nursing; ideas for improvement; and general properties. The findings of this evaluation demonstrated the value of the framework, which enabled rheumatology nurse specialists to document the competency level they were working at and to identify their future training needs.