DIE PROFIEL VAN DIE SUKSESVOLLE STUDENTVERPLEEGKUNDIGE - 'N EMPIRIESE ONDERSOEK BY DIE WES-TRANSVAALSE VERPLEGINGSKOLLEGE

Abstract

An objective screening process is a requirement in most organizations before candidates are appointed. The screening of nursing staff is at present based on Standard 10 achievement in certain subjects, as well as an interview in the case of some institutions. In spite of this the dropout rate of student nurses is high, and financial losses occuring from this cannot be justified. Research about the characteristics of successful student nurses as part of the objective screening process has therefore become essential. The purpose of this study was to determine the profile of the successful student nurse with regard to both cognitive and non cognitive variables. A literature study was undertaken with regard to the components of an objective screening process and the determination of job specifications by means of psychometric tests. Seeing that academic achievement is used as a criterion for success for student nurses, there was a focus on the cognitive and non-cognitive predictors of this kind of success. The target population consisted of 39 white and 56 black student nurses. Data about the cognitive and non-cognitive functioning of the student nurses were collected at the start of their training period. Cognitive predictors used included Standard 10 achievement and two sub-tests of the Senior Aptitude Test (SAT). Non-cognitive predictors used included the High School Personality Questionnaire (HSPQ), the Nineteen-Field Interest Inventory (19FII), the Vocational Interest Questionnaire (VIQ) and the Survey of Study Habits and Attitudes (SSHA). Academic achievement following the four-year course in Nursing was used to distinguish between unsuccessful and successful student nurses. The results were analysed by means of descriptive statistics and hypotheses tested by means of t-tests and discriminant analysis. A significant difference was found between Standard 10 achievement of the successful and unsuccessful groups, while no significant differences could be determined with regard to verbal comprehension and numerical ability. Some differences with regard to personality and interest could be determined between the successful and unsuccessful groups, although these were not of high practical significance. The successful group manifested better study orientation and methods than the unsuccessful group. In this study it was found that a combination of Standard 10 achievement, some personality factors and positive study attitudes distinguished successful candidates from unsuccessful ones, which casts doubt on the negation of psychometric tests as part of the screening process. Recommendations are made for future research.