Assessment of new nurse educators.

New nursing educators are typically hired from a pool of clinical experts due to a limited number of nurse educators prepared in adult education at the master's level. To enable identification of new nurse educator learning needs and individualization of development, a performance-based approach to orientation was designed. Relevant assessment tools were developed using three steps. First, the performance expectations of the role in an acute care facility were articulated. Second, the nine performance expectations were categorized into three skill areas: critical thinking, interpersonal relationships (IPR), and technical (del Bueno, Weeks, & Brown-Stewart, 1987). Lastly, assessment tools were designed to elicit performances in each of the three areas. Plans are underway for validity testing.