Using the Interpersonal Skills Tool to Assess Interpersonal Skills of Internationally Educated Nurses

Authors

Jay J. Shen, University of Nevada, Las VegasFollow
Yu Xu, University of Nevada, Las VegasFollow
Shelley Staples, Northern Arizona University
Anne L. Bolstad, University of Nevada, Las Vegas

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

2013

Publication Title

Japan Journal of Nursing Science

First page number:

1

Last page number:

9

Abstract

Aim

To assess interpersonal skills of internationally educated nurses (IEN) while interacting with standardized patients.

Methods

Participants included 52 IEN at two community hospitals in the southwestern region of the USA. Standardized patients were used to create patient–nurse encounter. Seventeen items in four domains (“skills in interviewing and collecting information”; “skills in counseling and delivering information”; “rapport”; and “personal manner”) in an Interpersonal Skills (IPS) instrument were measured by a Likert scale 1–4 with 4 indicating the best performance. The average composite score per domain and scores of the 17 items were compared across the domains.

Results

On 10 of the 17 items, the nurses received scores under 3. Counseling with an average score of 2.10 and closure with an average score of 2.44 in domain 2, small talk with an average score of 2.06 in domain 3, and physical exam with average score of 2.21 in domain 4 were below 2.5. The average composite score of domain 1 was 3.54, significantly higher than those of domains 2–4 (2.77, 2.81, and 2.71, respectively). Age was moderately related to the average score per domain with every 10 year increase in age resulting in a 0.1 increase in the average score. Sex and country of origin showed mixed results.

Conclusion

The interpersonal skills of IEN in three of the four domains need improvement. Well-designed educational programs may facilitate the improvement, especially in areas of small talk, counseling, closure, and physical exam. Future research should examine relationships between the IPS and demographics factors.

Keywords

Internationally educated nurses; Interpersonal skill; Nurse and patient; Nurses; Standardized patient; Transcultural nursing; Transition

Disciplines

Nursing | Public Health | Race and Ethnicity

Language

English

Permissions

Use Find in Your Library, contact the author, or interlibrary loan to garner a copy of the item. Publisher policy does not allow archiving the final published version. If a post-print (author's peer-reviewed manuscript) is allowed and available, or publisher policy changes, the item will be deposited.

Repository Citation

Shen, J. J., Xu, Y., Staples, S., Bolstad, A. L. (2013). Using the Interpersonal Skills Tool to Assess Interpersonal Skills of Internationally Educated Nurses. Japan Journal of Nursing Science 1-9.