Identifying Competency Skills of PROFIS Personnel

Bibliography

Name: Felecia Rivers

Rank: CPT, USA

Organization: The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga

Performance Site: Darnall Army Community Hospital, Fort Hood, TX, William Beaumont Army Medical Center, El Paso, TX

Year Published: 2002

Abstract Status: Final

Abstract

Purpose & Design

The purpose of this qualitative descriptive study was to identify the perceived readiness of United States Army Professional Filler System (PROFIS) personnel in regards to nursing competency and readiness for deployment during combat missions or Military Operations Other Than War (MOOTW). Patricia Benner's Model of Novice to Expert and Raymond Flannery's Theory of Stress Resistance were utilized as the conceptual framework to organize the study.

Sample, Instrumentation & Method

Research participants (n = 131) from two military treatment facilities assigned to Great Plains Regional Command responded to the electronic Readiness Estimate and Deployability Index (READI). The READI is a 105-item survey which measures self-reported competencies related to six dimensions of nursing readiness: clinical nursing competency, operational nursing competency, survival skills, personal and psychological readiness, leadership and administrative support, and group integration and identification.

Analysis & Findings

Descriptive statistics and the one-way Analysis of Variance were employed to analyze the data. Even though the research surveyed three levels of nursing skills (RN, LVN, CNA), the results were noted to be quite parallel across the groups. Significant differences were noted throughout the six dimensions of the READI and illustrated through the use of graphic panoramic displays. Significant differences were also noted between the two military treatment facilities in the dimensions of operational nursing competencies and personal and psychological readiness. The overall means were noted to be lower than the previous studies utilizing the READI. This study supports previous work, which identified the need for a measurement tool for deployment readiness. These findings also support the need for a structured core competency tool to provide succinct focused training to ensure deployment readiness.

Nursing Implications

Future research should include a meta-analysis of the previous studies completed, employing the Readiness Estimated and Deployability Index to build a comparative index of readiness assessments. Also, a pre- and post-deployment research study should be employed utilizing the READI. A core competency tool should be developed and tested in the field environment. Finally, the READI should be adapted and tested for use in the private sector.