Abstract:

The aim of vocational training is to promote professional competence. This complex construct comprises technical, methodical, social and self-related competence facets (Reetz, 2010). Health care professions require professionals who are able to meet high professional-technical as well as social, interactive demands. These professions are also characterized by domain-specific psychological stress factors (Böhle & Weihrich, 2020). Thus, stress coping competence (SCC) for maintaining one's own health and performance capacity is an important facet of self-related competencies in this professional context (Wittmann et al., 2022). However, in contrast to social competencies (e.g., Kanning, 2015), SCC has not received sufficient theoretical grounding and systematic empirical investigation. This deficit is particularly noticeable in the nursing profession, where stress factors affecting employees are virulent, both quantitatively (e.g. time-quantity problems in the face of staff shortages) and qualitatively (e.g. confrontation with suffering and dying), and considered major causes of training dropouts (Jacobs et al., 2021). In the “Extended competence assessment in the healthcare sector” (EKGe) project, a technology- and video-based situational judgement test (SJT) for assessing the SCC of prospective nurses was developed in a theory-based manner and validated both curricularly and psychometrically (Warwas et al., in review). The psychometric quality of the 29-item test instrument was examined using one-dimensional partial credit modeling. The item characteristics are in a satisfactory range, the difficulty parameters of the items in the three nursing professions occupy the same relative position and the instrument exhibits good reliabilities.

A longitudinal study with two measurement points approximately 5 months apart addresses the following research questions:
(1) How does the SCC or prospective nurses develop in the course of training?
(2) What influence do work and interaction characteristics in training nursing facilities during the training phases of ‘practical guidance’ have on the development of SCC?

Question 2 focuses on the process qualities of training. It is based on the idea that the acquisition of SCC takes place predominantly informally through model learning in the (partly cooperative) work process, but that the pedagogical relationship design by the practice guidance can also be relevant (Allmacher & Stähling, 2019). In addition, stress research shows that supportive interaction in everyday (work) life contributes to coping with stress (Schmucker, 2020).

The study sample includes N=255 prospective nurses. Using structural equation modeling (SEM; specifically cross-lagged panel models), we examine the stability of SCC and the influence of work and interaction characteristics in in training nursing facilities on SCC. Our analyses show no significant change in the average competence level of SCC of the study participants during the observed time period. Regarding the influence of work and interaction characteristics on individual levels of SCC, the results of our SEM particularly suggest significant, positive influences of perceived complexity of requirements and feedback by persons requiring care in the cross-sectional and longitudinal context. The results are discussed with regard to quality improvements in nursing education.

Keywords:

Stress coping competence, Online situational judgment testing, Nursing education, Training conditions.