Validation of the Australian Midwifery Standards Assessment Tool (AMSAT) : A tool to assess midwifery competence

Journal article


Sweet, Linda, Bazargan, Maryam, McKellar, Lois, Gray, Joanne and Henderson, Amanda. (2018). Validation of the Australian Midwifery Standards Assessment Tool (AMSAT) : A tool to assess midwifery competence. Women and Birth. 31(1), pp. 59-68. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wombi.2017.06.017
AuthorsSweet, Linda, Bazargan, Maryam, McKellar, Lois, Gray, Joanne and Henderson, Amanda
Abstract

Background
There is no current validated clinical assessment tool to measure the attainment of midwifery student competence in the midwifery practice setting. The lack of a valid assessment tool has led to a proliferation of tools and inconsistency in assessment of, and feedback on student learning.

Objective
This research aimed to develop and validate a tool to assess competence of midwifery students in practice-based settings.

Design
A mixed-methods approach was used and the study implemented in two phases. Phase one involved the development of the AMSAT tool with qualitative feedback from midwifery academics, midwife assessors of students, and midwifery students. In phase two the newly developed AMSAT tool was piloted across a range of midwifery practice settings and ANOVA was used to compare scores across year levels, with feedback being obtained from assessors.

Findings
Analysis of 150 AMSAT forms indicate the AMSAT as: reliable (Cronbach alpha greater than 0.9); valid—data extraction loaded predominantly onto one factor; and sensitivity scores indicating level of proficiency increased across the three years. Feedback evaluation forms (n = 83) suggest acceptance of this tool for the purpose of both assessing and providing feedback on midwifery student’s practice performance and competence.

Conclusion
The AMSAT is a valid, reliable and acceptable midwifery assessment tool enables consistent assessment of midwifery student competence. This assists benchmarking across midwifery education programs.

KeywordsClinical assessment; Midwifery education; Validation; Competence; Professional standards; Practice-based learning
Year01 Jan 2018
JournalWomen and Birth
Journal citation31 (1), pp. 59-68
PublisherElsevier Australia
ISSN1871-5192
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wombi.2017.06.017
Web address (URL)https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1871519217301531?via%3Dihub
Open accessPublished as non-open access
Research or scholarlyResearch
Page range59-68
Publisher's version
License
All rights reserved
File Access Level
Controlled
Output statusPublished
Publication dates
Online04 Aug 2017
Publication process dates
Accepted16 Jun 2017
Deposited26 Jul 2024
Additional information

© 2017 Australian College of Midwives. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Place of publicationNetherlands
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