The application of performance indicators to nurse education (Part 2).

In Part 1 of this paper the focus was on Performance Indicators (PIs) related to staff performance, teaching methods and learning environment, and it was argued that notions of student reports, student reviews and student perceptions would be useful as PIs when Colleges of Nursing are evaluated for effectiveness. In Part 2 the failure to apply indicators such as unit costs, student/staff ratio (SSRs), wastage and completion rates and value-added scores is discussed. Further argument is advanced to justify the application of these indicators to nurse education. The conclusion of this paper is that until concepts such as unit-costs, SSRs, wastage and completion rates and value-added scores are developed into PIs in nurse education, Colleges of Nursing are not sufficiently evaluated for their effectiveness.