Essential Competencies for Safe Clinical Practice

**Required for Applicants to the Nursing Program and Nursing Student Participation in the Clinical Setting.

The practice of nursing requires performance of certain physical and mental competencies. All candidates for, as well as student in the nursing program, must be able to successfully demonstrated the ability to meet these essential competencies.

ESSENTIAL COMPETENCIES	REQUIREMENTS	EXAMPLES/OUTCOMES
Communication Skills	Demonstrates the ability to use verbal and written English to communicate accurately and effectively with all individuals, sufficient to provide safe and effective patient care.	Serve as communication liaison between patients and other medical personnel. Clarify orders from health care providers, delegate tasks to support staff, and initiate interventions and health teaching. Clearly convey patient needs, nursing care and patient outcomes. Document in a manner that is coherent and legible.
Critical Thinking	Utilize appropriate judgment. Demonstrates ability to calculate measure and analyze.Incorporate previous knowledge from a wide range of subject areas into current practice.	Able to correlate theory to clinical practice. Able to prioritize. Identify cause and effect relationships in clinical settings.
Good Moral Character	• No felony or misdemeanor charges or convictions in any state or county. • No disciplinary actions against the candidate/student. • No substance abuse	Some clinical facilities require background checks and fingerprinting. Some clinical facilities require drug and alcohol screening. Students unable to successfully comply with these requirements may be unable to continue in the program.
Interpersonal Skills	Recognize and respect all people and their individual differences.Perform effectively under stress sufficient to maintain accountability and responsibility. Display flexibility and demonstrate compassion for all.	Establish professional rapport with all individuals and develop effective relationships. React professionally to emotional situations. Adjust positively to changing environments. Negotiate conflicts.
Mobility	Possess physical mobility necessary and sufficient to stand, walk, sit, bend, squat reach and lift in order to provide safe and effective care.	Able to move in and around patient care and treatment areas. Able to administer nursing care and perform emergency and non-emergency procedures. Able to lift, position and transfer patients.
Motor Skills	Possess gross and fine motor abilities sufficient to provide safe and effective patient care.	Can perform techniques essential for patient care, including but not limited to: insertion of tubes; preparation and administration of injections; operation, calibration and manipulation of equipment.
Sensory Skills	Possess auditory, visual and tactile abilities sufficient to assess and monitor health status, provide safe and effective patient care and ensure a safe environment.	Demonstrate capability for observation (seeing), palpitation (feeling), percussion (tapping), and auscultation (listening). Able to respond to alarms and signals. Can communicate effectively via voice or telephone.
	Prepared by: Curriculum Committee Sp ‘07

National Patient Safety Goals:

**The student is responsible for knowledge of “The Joint Commission National Patient Safety Goals” related to semester course content at:
http://www.jointcommission.org/patientsafety/nationalpatientsafetygoals/

Patient Privacy:

**Students are responsible for adhering to the HIPPA privacy laws related to patient care information in all clinical circumstances.