Developing core competencies for clinical nurse educators: An e-Delphi-study

Clinical nurse educator plays an indispensable role in promoting the development of nursing staff and nursing students in clinical settings. Too few core competencies for clinical nurse educators applicable to a given clinical setting are developed and validated by the research process. A better understanding of the core competencies for clinical nurse educators can inform the selection, training, and evaluation of clinical nurse educator.To establish the core competencies for clinical nurse educators in China.Focus group interviews and the e-Delphi method were used.This study was conducted in five teaching hospitals in China.Participants (n = 61), including nurse managers, clinical nurse educators, staff nurses, and nursing students were recruited for focus group interviews and 25 experts were selected for the e-Delphi study.Based on a literature review and the focus group interviews, a preliminary set of clinical nurse educator's core competencies was formed. Subsequently, experts provided supportive and modification advice on core competencies in the two rounds e-Delphi study. The consensus percentage and the weight of each first-level, second-level index and its connotations were calculated.Two rounds of online Delphi expert consultation were completed by 25 experts, and the consensus was achieved on four first-level indices, 16 second-level specific competencies, and its 57 connotations. The first-level index included clinical teaching competency, clinical nursing skills, management and leadership competency, and innovation and research competency. Moreover, the consensus level of all indices was >75%, the coefficient of variation (CV) was less than 0.25 (p < 0.05) and the Kendall coefficient (W) was 0.169-0.503 (P < 0.01).The explicit statements of expected competencies for clinical nurse educators can be applied to diverse clinical scenarios and provide a reference for selection, training, and evaluation of the clinical nurse educators.