Self report of competence. A tool for the staff development specialist.

This study was conducted to identify self perception of clinical competence reported by medical-surgical nurses. The study used the model of clinical competence advanced by Benner (1984). Participants were invited to compare themselves with key aspects of Benner's (1984) model through analyzing their responses on a researcher-generated scale. Analysis of the responses on the Nursing Expertise Self Report Scale suggested both that the nurses were at the competent-to-proficient level of clinical practice and that nurses may not accomplish all aspects of the transition from novice to expert at the same rate. In this article, the use of self report of clinical competence in educational program design is explored.