Competence to provide health education: perception of nursing students and faculty.

A survey study was conducted to examine perceptions about health education competence. Faculty and students from two baccalaureate nursing programs completed a 41-item questionnaire rating both present and desired competence to provide health education. The results indicated that: (1) students had a higher expectation of performance for the role of health educator than did the faculty, (2) the present performance level for all groups was at a lower level than the desired performance for the future, (3) faculty and students perceived less competence for application of the teaching process with groups than with individuals, (4) students currently perceive themselves at the same level that faculty identifies as the desired level of competence, and (5) the desired performance level for graduates was defined as ability to perform without supervision and with reasonable efficiency.