Evaluation Resources

Undergraduate Nursing Palliative Care Knowledge Survey (UNPCKS) (Davis et al., 2020)
This is a 20-item multiple choice survey that aligns with the Competencies and Recommendations for Educating Undergraduate Nursing Students document that outlines 15 competencies representing high quality palliative care expected of undergraduate nursing students.] This instrument has been designed and tested as a singular cohort of questions. To uphold instrument integrity, users are asked to deliver the items as written, without modification or separation. NOTE: This was tested in prelicensure (entry-level) nursing students only. If you wish to use the instrument outside of pre-licensure nursing education, please contact us at pallcareed@up.edu to explore ways we can collaborate with you in these efforts.
Reference: Davis, A., Lippe, M., Burduli, E., & Barbosa-Leiker, C. (2020). Development of a new undergraduate palliative care knowledge measure. Journal of Professional Nursing, 36(1), p. 47-52. doi: 10.1016/j.profnurs.2019.06.007
Free access to this instrument is available through this link.

Undergraduate perceived competence: CARES PC 2.0 (Lippe et al., 2020)
This is a 15 item Likert survey that aligns with the revised CARES statements endorsed by AACN. This instrument has been designed and tested as a singular cohort of questions. To uphold instrument integrity, users are asked to deliver the items as written, without modification or separation. NOTE: This was tested in pre-licensure nursing students or entry-level professional nurses only. If you wish to use the instrument outside of pre-licensure nursing education, please contact us at pallcareed@up.edu to explore ways we can collaborate with you in these efforts.
Reference: Lippe, M., Davis, A., Threadgill, H., Ricamato, A. (2020). Development of a new measure to assess primary palliative care perceived competence. Nurse Educator, 45(2), p. 106-110. doi: 10.1097/NNE.0000000000000682
Free access to this instrument is available through this link.

Graduate perceived competence: G-CARES PC 2.0
This is a 12 item Likert survey that aligns with the revised G-CARES statements endorsed by AACN.] This instrument has been designed and tested as a singular cohort of questions. To uphold instrument integrity, users are asked to deliver the items as written, without modification or separation. NOTE: This was tested in graduate (advanced-level) nursing students only. If you wish to use the instrument outside of graduate nursing education, please contact us at pallcareed@up.edu to explore ways we can collaborate with you in these efforts.
Free access to this instrument is available through this link.

Primary Palliative Nursing Care Competence Assessment Tool [PPNC-CAT] (Lippe & Davis, 2023) 
This is a flexible instrument that explores 9 domains of competence with 33 corresponding observable behaviors. PPNC-CAT is more flexible in its use and does not have a prescribed evaluation scale. You can use individual items/domains or the whole instrument however you see fit. NOTE: This was tested in prelicensure (entry-level) nursing students only but can also be used for entry-level nurses. If you wish to use the instrument outside of pre-licensure nursing education or nurse residency programs, please contact us at pallcareed@up.edu to explore ways we can collaborate with you in these efforts.
Reference: Lippe, M. P., & Davis, A. (2023). Development of a primary palliative nursing care competence model and assessment tool: A mixed-methods study. Nursing Education Perspectives, 44(2), 76–81. doi: 10.1097/01.NEP.0000000000001056
Free access to this instrument is available through this link.

Modified Palliative Care Version of the Original Creighton Competency Evaluation Instrument (C-CEI®) [CCEI-PC]
The CCEI-PC was developed to align with the CHAARM characteristics of palliative care nursing by adding 3 items measuring specific aspects of palliative care communication (establishing trust, use of appropriate language, and use of resources). The CCEI-PC is a 25-item instrument used to assess student performance in four categories: assessment (three items), communication (five items), clinical judgment (nine items), and patient safety (six items). Evaluators rate students or student groups, based on their demonstration of the competency identified for each item (0=does not demonstrate competency, 1=demonstrates competency, NA=not applicable, UA=unable to assess).
Kirkpatrick, A. J., Cantrell, M. A., & Smeltzer, S. C. (2019). Relationships among nursing student palliative care knowledge, experience, self-awareness, and performance: An end-of-life simulation study. Nurse Education Today, 73, 23–30. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nedt.2018.11.003

AACN-endorsed Palliative Care Competency Statements for Entry-Level and Advanced-Level Students (CARES and G-CARES, 2nd ed: 
American Association of Colleges of Nursing and End-of-Life Nursing Education Consortium (2021). Competencies And Recommendations for Educating nursing Students (CARES): Preparing nurses to care for persons with serious illness and their families (2nd ed.)
American Association of Colleges of Nursing and End-of-Life Nursing Education Consortium (2021). Primary palliative care competencies for undergraduate and graduate nursing students (CARES/G-CARES, 2nd ed): Alignment with the 2021 AACN Essentials.