Internationally Educated Nurse (IEN) Competency Assessment in Alberta

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Internationally Educated Nurse (IEN)Competency
Assessmentin Alberta
Prior Learning Assessment and Recognition (PLAR)
WorkshopMay 16, 2007Shirley Meyer, RN
MNAssistant Registrar

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Role of the Regulatory Body

• The College Association of Registered Nurses of
  Alberta (CARNA) is responsible for ensuring that
  the residents of Alberta receive
• safe,
• competent, and
• ethical
• nursing care from Registered Nurses (RNs) and
  Nurse Practitioners (NPs).

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Overview

• Role of Regulatory Body
• Eligibility Process and Competency Assessment
• What works
• What we have learned
• Challenges

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Determining eligibility

• Historically, eligibility for RN registration was
  based on comparing IEN educational preparation to
  educational preparation of Alberta RNs.
• Assessment of credentials and educational
  transcripts provide only a part of the
  information required to determine an applicants
  eligibility for registration as a Registered
  Nurse

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Determining eligibility

• Alberta Health Professions Act (HPA)
• Substantially Equivalent Competence (SEC)
• Have a combination of education, experience,
  practice or other qualifications, that
  demonstrates the competence required for
  registration as a regulated member
• (HPA 28(2)(c))

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Entry to Practice Competencies

• The specific knowledge, skills, judgment and
  interpersonal attributes required of a new
  registered nurse graduate who is entering the
  workforce for the first time.
• 28 competencies
• Measured using the SEC Assessment process
  administered at Mt. Royal College in Calgary

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Eligibility Process

• If unable to determine from applicant documents
  that possesses substantially equivalent
  competencies expected of newly graduated Alberta
  RNs, will
• Determine type(s) of SEC Assessment required
• Refer applicant to the Mt. Royal College IEN
  Assessment Centre
• Applicant arranges appointment
• Once assessment completed, report sent directly
  to CARNA

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Eligibility Process

• SEC Assessment report will identify if applicant
• Meets all competencies
• Meets many/some but not all competencies
• Eligibility decision determined from assessment
  of all evidence (including SEC assessment
  results)
• If questions arise from assessment results,
  direct contact is made with the IEN Assessment
  Centre to discuss and verify.
• Occasionally applicant may be sent for further
  specialty SEC assessment if required.

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Educational Interventions

• Decision made to
• Approve registration
• Defer registration
• Deny registration
• Defer If competency gaps are identified,
  applicant may be required to complete educational
  interventions to address the gaps

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• Types of educational interventions determined by
• The appropriate activity that would address
  competency gaps in the most timely and
  cost-effective manner for IEN
• Successful completion of interventions is
  considered evidence of meeting the competency
  requirement.

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What we have seen with SEC Assessment
Transcripts Credentials only
SEC Assessment

• Not eligible
• Eligible but competency difficulties arose in
  workplace
• Eligible

• Met all competencies and was eligible
• Competency gaps identified and completed
  remediation. Eligible and more confident in
  workplace
• Could not meet competencies deemed ineligible

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What works

• Commitment of both parties (Mt. Royal and CARNA)
  to a collaborative and ongoing relationship
• Shared goals
• Objective, unbiased assessment of the applicants
  ability to meet Entry to Practice Competencies
• Public receives safe, competent, ethical nursing
  care
• Maintenance of evidence-based SEC assessment tool
• Open, transparent, concurrent process evaluation
  with timely, responsive changes
• Facilitate IEN success on CRNE and in workplace
• Respectful and fair relationship/interactions
  with applicants

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What works

• The collaboration between Mt. Royal College IEN
  Assessment Centre, CARNA, and Ministries of
  Health Wellness and Advanced Education
• All focused on providing frameworks and
  infrastructure to
• Ensure safe, competent nursing care to public
• Support timely assessments
• Support IENs and facilitate their success

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What we have learned

• Importance of English Language fluency prior to
  the assessment
• The need for open, transparent information to
  applicants
• The SEC Assessment is an opportunity to
  demonstrate knowledge, skills and abilities
• The SEC Assessment process
• Understanding that identified educational
  activities must be completed as a requirement for
  eligibility

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What we have learned

• The need for regular, frequent meetings between
  both CARNA and the IEN Assessment Centre to
  ensure timely discussion of issues and joint
  problem-solving
• The SEC Assessment process is ongoing and
  iterative in its development

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What we have learned

• Critical to discuss and understand the
  assumptions, roles and processes of each partner
• Regulatory vs. Educational
• Purpose of the SEC assessment
• Information re applicant to SEC assessment
  Centre by CARNA
• Information to/from applicant prior and following
  assessment
• Operational and funding processes
• Process flow mapping, streamlining of processes
• Capacity and scalability issues
• Other activities and pressures in each environment

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What we have learned

• Having an objective assessment of an individuals
  competencies is important and valuable but,
• It is equally important and essential to have
  appropriate and accessible remedial interventions
  available to address the identified gaps
• One is incomplete without the other!

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Educational Interventions

• Discovered that existing educational
  programs/courses did not meet the specific
  educational needs of IENs who had been through a
  SEC Assessment
• Either content was not applicable to competency
  gap or there was redundant content

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Educational Interventions

• Specific curriculum had to be developed to
  provide educational interventions that addressed
  the specific competency gaps
• Offerings are tailored to the specific IEN
  competency requirements
• Because content was developed in alignment with
  PLAR Project, have confidence that remediation
  meets competency needs.

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Challenges

• Assessment and educational accessibility to IENs
  in all locations
• Alberta
• Off shore
• Funding assistance for IENs
• Awareness and understanding of length of time
  process can take

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But

• The process provides an opportunity for
  applicants to show what they know
• The process is objective, consistent and fair
• The process helps ensure that registered nurses
  who are granted eligibility for registration are
  competent to provide safe and ethical nursing
  care to the public.