Competencies of Thai Nurse Instructors in the Next Decade (A.D. 2023-2032)

Abstract

This research aimed to study the competencies of Thai nurse instructors in the next decade (A.D. 2023–2032). It was based on future research using the Delphi technique, from the collection of opinions of 17 nursing instructors and professional nurses with knowledge and experience. They were divided into six nursing instructors from Rajabhat University, five nursing instructors from other affiliates, three nursing administrators, and three professional nurses. The research process consisted of three steps: Step 1: Interview experts. Using a semi-structured questionnaire, the second step was to analyze the content data and construct a questionnaire to allow experts to comment on the importance of the sub-component nurse competency. Step 3: Use expert opinions to calculate the median and interquartile ranges, and then reconfirm the opinions with the experts. The data was then computed for the median and interquartile ranges to draw conclusions from the research.
The results showed the competencies of Thai nurses in the next decade (A.D. 2023–2032) consisted of 3 components and 41 sub-components, namely: 1) 15 attributes, 2) 10 soft skills, and 3) hard skills. There were 16 items of hard skills and competence. It was found that all items had a median of 4.00 or higher, and the group of experts had the same opinion. The interquartile range was not more than 1.00, and the data was changed by 5.87%. The results of this research can be used by the administrators of nursing institutions to formulate policies and provide training to develop nursing instructors to have such competencies.