COMPETENCY ASSESSMENT
Competency is usually assessed for the following reasons:
nTo ensure staff has the skills and abilities they need to
perform to the expectations of their job description
and organizational policies and procedures.
nTo determine gaps in employee performance that need
to be closed to ensure safe and competent care.
nTo evaluate job performance.
nTo provide aggregate data on competency patterns and
trends as a basis for staff education and practice changes.
nTo use competency data in organizational quality improvement efforts.
In performing competency assessment, Howanitz,
Valenstein, and Fine (2000) outlined four levels of competence that should be addressed in the assessment process:
Level 1 = What an individual ‘‘knows’’ measured by his
or her general knowledge
Level 2 = An individual ‘‘knows how’’ to act measured by
his or her competence
Level 3 = An individual ‘‘shows how’’ to act as measured
by his or her performance
Level 4 = What an individual ‘‘does’’ as measured by his
or her action
The significance of these levels lies in the ability of an
organization to describe competence only when Level 4