Re: anyone registering for SRNA or in Saskatchewan?
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B]Substantially Equivalent Competency (SEC) Assessment[/b]
The Saskatchewan Registered Nurses' Association (SRNA) may require Internationally Educated Nurses (IENs) to complete a Substantially Equivalent Competency (SEC) assessment. To complete a SEC, you must fill the following requirements:
meet the SRNA's English Language Test requirement
have a letter from the SRNA indicating the need for an assessment. You may be required to have an assessment in the areas of:
General Nursing
Maternal Newborn Health Nursing
Child Health Nursing
Mental Health Nursing
Overview of the SEC Assessment
The SEC is a comprehensive assessment that uses the following four strategies to evaluate the competencies of registered nurses:
Written Diagnostic Exam
Clinical Judgement Assessment
Triple Jump Assessment
Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE)
Note: The Substantially Equivalent Competencies (SEC) Assessment strategies and tools were developed at Mount Royal College in Calgary, Alberta.
Written Diagnostic Exam
The written diagnostic exam includes both paper and pencil multiple choice and short answer questions that test general and focused (specialty) nursing knowledge required of professional nurses in Canada.
the General multiple choice and short answer exam is seven (7) hours with a break between the two halves
each focused (specialty) diagnostic exam is three and a half (3.5) hours
Clinical Judgement Assessment
The Clinical Judgment Assessment is an interview style assessment that evaluates your ability to make sound clinical judgments in situations that are complex and have no "simple" answers. A clinical judgment situation will assess the ability of the candidate to think deliberately and critically through a nursing situation, apply essential and relevant knowledge, consider possibilities and options and take reasoned, reflective and insightful decisions and actions.
The following resource may help you to prepare for this portion of the SEC assessment:
Clinical Judgement Self Assessment
Triple Jump Assessment
Problem solving and critical thinking skills are tested using an assessment interview called the Triple Jump. In the interview, candidates will be presented with a brief client situation and asked to:
generate a problem list/hypotheses about the client’s situation
identify and collect relevant data about the client/family
revise his/her problem list based on the data
develop an intervention/management plan
self-evaluate
The process will assess knowledge, problem-solving, critical thinking, organizational, client assessment and self-evaluation skills, as well as self-directed learning abilities.
An online introduction to the Triple Jump Self Assessment interview may help you prepare for this portion of the SEC assessment. This resource provides the opportunity to test yourself on selected portions of the assessment. It is not exactly the same as the actual Triple Jump assessment but will still give you an idea of how the interview will be conducted.
Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE)
This one to three day assessment is conducted in a lab setting, where a candidate will role play the nurse in response to client/family health situations and demonstrate his or her abilities to apply knowledge by holistically caring for this client/family. The OSCE is used to assess the following knowledge and skills:
nurse-client interactions and relationships
critical thinking and clinical judgement skills
health assessment and nursing skills
ethical decision making skills
pharmacology and pathophysiology
rapidly changing patient situations
Self Assessment of the SRNA’s Nursing Practice Standards
SRNA Nursing Practice Standards Candidates will have the opportunity to provide a self-assessment of how they have met the professional standards during nursing practice in their country of origin.
What You Can Do to Prepare for Your SEC Assessment
become familiar with the assessment strategies information on this website so that you know what to expect in a similar actual SEC assessment
work through the sample Clinical Judgment Scenarios and Triple Jump scenario links on this website
refer to the SRNA to review the "SRNA Standards and Foundation Competencies"
Refer to the Canadian Nurses Association (CNA) to review the "CNA Code of Ethics document"
review current nursing textbook(s) (published within past 5 years), that cover the knowledge, practices, and procedures of medical/surgical nursing practice
if you are referred for a focused (specialty) assessment, you would also benefit from reviewing a current textbook in maternal-newborn health, child health, and/or mental health nursing
access a Canadian Registered Nurses Exam (CRNE) preparatory book to review expected knowledge
an "optional" OSCE preparation resource is the Nursing Picture Dictionary Tutorial, review to familiarize yourself with Canadian health care equipment and supplies that you could be exposed to in your OSCE assessments
SEC Assessment Results
Following your assessment, the results will be sent to the SRNA and you can expect to hear from the SRNA in about 3-5 weeks. Please note that the nurse consultant/assessors will not be discussing your performance with you during or after your SEC assessment.
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