The utility of cognitive testing in the nurse anesthesia admission process as a novel predictor of situational awareness and academic success
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Guy, Shannon C. & Lion, Danielle M..
The utility of cognitive testing in the nurse anesthesia admission process as a novel predictor of situational awareness and academic success. Retrieved from
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TitleThe utility of cognitive testing in the nurse anesthesia admission process as a novel predictor of situational awareness and academic success
Date Created2020
Other Date2020-05 (degree)
Extent1 online resource (78 pages) : illustrations
DescriptionPurpose of Project: In the clinical setting, loss situational awareness (SA) by anesthesia practitioners can lead to medical error with grave and costly consequences. Thus, society needs CRNAs who practice with adequate levels of SA, which is the ability to perceive, understand and react to stressful situations so as to optimize patient outcomes. It is noted that a challenge in academia is predicting potential students’ abilities to develop SA, confounded by limited evidence-based admission criteria. Research indicates that one’s degree of SA is best predicted by cognition. To date, no research has observed the utility of cognitive testing in the SRNA admission process as a predictor of SA. Given the ultimate need to improve healthcare delivery, the purpose of this project is to assess an evidence-based, cognitive tool in the admission process to predict students’ SA and academic success.
Methodology: This study utilizes a quantitative, correlational design to examine participating nurse anesthesia interviewees’ cognitive results against the traditional admission indices. Of the 50 qualified nurse anesthesia interviewees, 37 voluntarily participated in this IRB-approved study at a large, public, northeast university. Following candidate interviews, participants completed the computerized Raven’s Advanced Progressive Matrices (APM-III) to assess cognition, the results of which had no bearing on admission decision. Participant scores were uploaded and maintained within the secured Pearson’s online portal. The raw data was stripped of identifiers for blinded analysis via SPSS.
Results: Bivariate analysis found no significant differences in APM-III scores of those admitted versus those not admitted. Only interview scores demonstrated significant difference between groups, with those admitted being higher. No significant association was seen between scores for APM-III, interview, CCRN, GPA and years of experience. Mutivariate regression showed insignificant, negative associations between admission and CCRN score, GPA and years of experience. APM-III scores and interview score were insignificantly, positively correlated.
Implications for Practice: No difference between groups existed in APM-III scores and the majority of traditional criteria. Given the lack of evidential criteria and measures to assess cognition in the admission process, current practice alone may be more subjective than objective. Therefore, this metric may offer supplemental aid to best capture students with the most potential. Implications include the education and graduation of effective and efficient CRNAs. This may be an answer to concerns of attrition and associated program costs. More importantly, it may provide greater entry-to-practice of clinicians who embody the necessary trait of SA, thereby reducing the potential for medical error.
NoteDNP
NoteIncludes bibliographical references
Genretheses, ETD doctoral
LanguageEnglish
CollectionSchool of Nursing (RBHS) DNP Projects
Organization NameRutgers, The State University of New Jersey
RightsThe author owns the copyright to this work.
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