Archived Assessment Report
| Program | Nursing Assistant Certificate |
| Assessment Reporter | [email protected] |
| Theme | Practicing Community |
| Review Year | 2024-2025 - Final Report |
| Learning Outcome (or Gen Ed Essential Skill) | Focus Area |
|---|---|
| 1. Employ therapeutic communication skills when practicing with peers and apply this communication technique while performing client care in the clinical setting. | Our goal is that 90% of students will achieve a minimum score of 75% on the Written and Verbal/Nonverbal Communication Evaluations in the clinical setting. |
| 5. Exhibit professional behaviors in clinical and laboratory setting. | Our goal is that 90% of students will achieve a minimum score of 80% on the Clinical Preparedness/Professional Behavior Evaluation. |
| Learning Outcome (or Gen Ed Essential Skill) | Description of Assessment Tool | Population or Courses Assessed | Hypothetical Analysis/Target |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Employ therapeutic communication skills when practicing with peers and apply this communication technique while performing client care in the clinical setting. | Written Communication Evaluation Verbal/Nonverbal Communication Evaluation | NA 1190 | If 90% of students achieve a minimum score of 75% in the communication evaluations, we will continue to evaluate and do not need change the teaching methods, curriculum, or evaluations. If the minimum scores are well above the 75% threshold, we will need to re-evaluate the assessment tool to determine if the tool is effectively measuring competency or needs revision. If the scores are below the 90% goal, we will need to revise curriculum and teaching strategies to improve outcomes in this area. We will continue to assess and implement revisions, create new tools and implement new teaching strategies to improve communication skills. |
| 5. Exhibit professional behaviors in clinical and laboratory setting. | Clinical Preparedness/Professional Behavior Evaluation | NA 1190 | If 90% of students achieve a minimum score of 80% in the Preparedness/Professional Behavior evaluations, we will continue to evaluate and do not need change the teaching methods, curriculum, or evaluations. If the minimum scores are well above the 80% threshold, we will need to re-evaluate the assessment tool to determine if the tool is effectively measuring desired outcomes or needs revision. If the scores are below the 90% goal, we will need to revise curriculum and teaching strategies to improve outcomes in this area. We will continue to assess and implement revisions, create new tools and implement new teaching strategies to improve Professional Behaviors in the clinical setting. |
| Learning Outcome (or Gen Ed Essential Skill) | Summary of Results | Reflection on Focus Area | Intepretation of Results |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Employ therapeutic communication skills when practicing with peers and apply this communication technique while performing client care in the clinical setting. | 97% of students achieved a minimum score of 75% on the written communication evaluation. 93% of students achieved a minimum score of 75% on the verbal/non-verbal communication evaluation. 100% of students achieved a minimum score of 75% on the Professional Behavior evaluation. | The results do support the original focus area question. | The results show that we have met our goal in this area. 90% of our students did achieve a minimum score of 75% in the communication evaluations. Most scores were well above the 75% threshold. |
| 5. Exhibit professional behaviors in clinical and laboratory setting. | 90% of students achieved a minimum score of 80% on the Preparedness/Professional Behavior tool. | The results support the original focus area | This shows us that our students have improved in the area of preparedness and professional behaviors compared to scores on this tool/evaluation during the NA 1093 course. Improvement in this area confirms that our teaching methods and strategies are effective in this area. |
| 1. Employ therapeutic communication skills when practicing with peers and apply this communication technique while performing client care in the clinical setting. | |
|---|---|
| Describe the change that was implemented. | Revision of the measurement tool for competency in communication will be made and implemented this semester (fall 2024). |
| Type of Change |
|
| Change in Assessment Approach or Tools? | The change requires a change in the tool used to assess communication skills. |
| What data motivated the change? | Most scores were well above the 75% threshold. While we felt that we were effectively measuring competency in the basic areas of communication, it was determined that the measurement tool needed to be revised to provide measurement of a higher-level competency in this area. |
| Hypothesis about the effect the change will have? | The changes will allow us to effectively measure not only that the students can demonstrate simple communication skills but can also use critical thinking skills to implement communication within the health care team. |
| 5. Exhibit professional behaviors in clinical and laboratory setting. | |
|---|---|
| Describe the change that was implemented. | Student self-evaluations/ reflection will be added to evaluate competency in professionalism. |
| Type of Change |
|
| Change in Assessment Approach or Tools? | An additional tool will be added to the current assessment to include the self-evaluation/reflection. |
| What data motivated the change? | Scores were high in this area and the use of the current tool has improved behaviors, but faculty still had questions as to whether adding a self-evaluation/reflection would provide a more effective measurement of competency in professionalism. |
| Hypothesis about the effect the change will have? | Having a self-evaluation will help improve outcomes by allowing for the student to evaluate on their own in what areas they need to improve. It also will allow the instructor to provide feedback and measure competence in this area. |
| Learning Outcome (or Gen Ed Essential Skill) | Description of Assessment Tool | Population of Courses Assessed |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Employ therapeutic communication skills when practicing with peers and apply this communication technique while performing client care in the clinical setting. | We will use the same tool for evaluation, the tool has been slightly revised for improved assessment | NA 1190 will be used for second round |
| 5. Exhibit professional behaviors in clinical and laboratory setting. | We will continue to use the same tool to assess Professional Behaviors. We have added a self evaluation to determine if the tool we are using is effective in measurement. | We will continue to assess NA 1190 |
| Learning Outcome (or Gen Ed Essential Skill) | Summary of Second Round Results | Intepretation of Results, Pre- and Post-Change | Follow up questions, possible next steps |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Employ therapeutic communication skills when practicing with peers and apply this communication technique while performing client care in the clinical setting. | During the second assessment cycle, 56 students in NA 1190 were evaluated using the revised Written and Verbal/Nonverbal Communication tools. Results showed that 100% of students scored above 75% in written communication, with 94.6% achieving 90% or higher. In the Verbal/Nonverbal Communication assessment, all students scored 100%, reflecting consistent proficiency across the cohort. The revised tool also captured students’ ability to communicate abnormal vital signs and accurately document findings, providing a more comprehensive measure of communication competency in the clinical setting. | Does the current rubric provide sufficient range to distinguish exemplary performance from proficient performance in verbal and nonverbal communication? Could adding scenario-based evaluations or peer/observer ratings strengthen the reliability of results? Should faculty calibration sessions be implemented to ensure consistent scoring across evaluators? How can ongoing assessments continue to integrate clinical documentation and reporting of abnormal findings to reinforce communication accuracy? Would longitudinal tracking across multiple terms provide stronger evidence of sustained skill development? Next Steps: Faculty will meet to review the rubric criteria, pilot more detailed performance descriptors, and explore additional formative tools to capture subtle differences in communication skill levels. Continued data collection will ensure that students not only meet but demonstrate mastery of advanced therapeutic communication competencies. | |
| 5. Exhibit professional behaviors in clinical and laboratory setting. | In the second round of assessment, NA 1190 students were evaluated using the existing Clinical Preparedness/Professional Behavior Evaluation with the addition of a student self-evaluation/reflection. All students achieved a score above 80% on the faculty evaluation, exceeding the benchmark of 90% scoring at least 80%. However, both the faculty evaluations and student self-assessments showed little variation in scoring. This suggests that while students consistently demonstrate professional conduct, the assessment tools did not effectively differentiate levels of competency or capture students’ developing insight into professionalism. | Does the current evaluation tool clearly distinguish between satisfactory and exemplary professional behaviors? How can it better capture initiative, reliability, teamwork, therapeutic communication, respect toward patients, and accountability in the clinical setting? Would guided reflection on daily experiences and professional conduct make self-assessments more meaningful? Could brief faculty check-ins or observation rubrics during lab and clinical rotations enhance measurement accuracy? Next Steps: Faculty will refine the Professional Behavior evaluation by expanding rubric criteria to include observable behaviors such as teamwork, therapeutic communication, and respectful interaction. Simplified reflection questions will promote accountability and insight, and faculty calibration will ensure consistent, fair evaluation across all cohorts. |
Describe any change in student achievement observed as part of this assessment process, and what led to those changes.
Yes. While overall achievement remained consistently high across both assessment cycles, faculty observed a notable improvement in students’ ability to recognize and appropriately report abnormal findings during clinical experiences. This change reflects stronger application of therapeutic communication, situational awareness, and accountability in real patient care settings. The increased emphasis on accurate documentation and communication of abnormalities within the revised assessment tools likely contributed to this improvement, reinforcing safe practice and professional readiness.
Describe long-term changes in the program(s) that the assessment process led to, and what motivated those changes?
Yes. The assessment process confirmed that the revised Written and Verbal/Nonverbal Communication tools effectively measure student competency in the “Practicing Community” theme. The consistently high scores and faculty feedback indicate these tools accurately capture communication skills and alignment with course objectives. As a result, both tools will continue to be used long term. The process also emphasized the importance of faculty calibration and consistent application of the rubrics to maintain reliability across cohorts. Future review cycles will focus on refining the Professional Behavior evaluation to better assess accountability, teamwork, and therapeutic communication.
What did you learn about the teaching and learning of "Practicing Community" in your programs?
The assessment results show that Nursing Assistant students consistently demonstrate competency in the “Practicing Community” theme through strong communication and professional behaviors. In Written Communication, 100% of students scored above 75%, with 94.6% scoring 90% or higher, and all students earned 100% in Verbal/Nonverbal Communication. These findings suggest that instructional strategies effectively support teamwork, therapeutic communication, and professionalism in clinical settings. However, faculty also learned that current assessment tools may overemphasize compliance and not fully capture growth in areas such as accountability and collaboration. This insight highlights the need for more refined, behavior-based rubrics and guided reflection to assess deeper application of professional and interpersonal skills.
Describe any external factors affecting the program or affecting assessment of the program.
One external factor affecting the program during this assessment cycle has been the ongoing challenges with state CNA testing under the current vendor. Limited testing dates, high costs, and inconsistent scheduling have created delays in students’ ability to complete certification promptly after program completion. These factors can influence student motivation and program outcome tracking, even though classroom and clinical performance remain strong. The program continues to work closely with institutional leadership and the state to address these barriers and advocate for improvements that support timely certification and accurate assessment of student competency.