Competency Management

Overview

The knowledge, skills, and attitudes of nurses develop over time to meet the needs of the community we serve. Having a meaningful way to maintain ongoing competence is essential to:

Ensuring safe care is delivered
Meeting legal and regulatory standards
Evaluating individual and group performance
Enhancing performance
Addressing areas of challenge

Process

Ongoing competencies should reflect the ownership, empowerment, and accountability that nurses at UC Davis Health have over their practice. Competencies are collaboratively identified by unit/dept. leadership and direct-care staff to reflect the new, changing, high-risk, or problematic aspects of work in their area. Unit/dept.-level identification contributes to the ownership of competency management. Direct-care nurses are empowered to bring forth the evidence of their competence using a verification method of their choice. Unit/dept. leadership are accountable for supporting direct-care nurses in achieving our mission and ongoing competence.