LAUSR

Supplemental digital content is available in the text. Abstract AIM The aim of the study was to understand and describe how clinical nurse educators evaluate prelicensure baccalaureate nursing students in clinical practicums. BACKGROUND Clinical evaluation is used to determine nursing students’ competency. There is no consensus about how competency is defined, which may lead to inconsistent clinical evaluation of students. METHOD Clinical nurse educators who evaluate baccalaureate nursing students in clinical practicums participated in semistructured interviews via a web-conferencing platform. RESULTS Three categories emerged from the data: decision-making about practicum grades, making final determinations of clinical competency, and clinical nurse educator training in the clinical evaluation process. Five subcategories emerged: determinants in process, relevance of time, issues with practices, deeming students competent, and relevance of course structure. CONCLUSION Implications for nursing education are offered related to the need for standardization in clinical evaluation.