Evaluating continuing competency: a challenge for nursing.

Twenty-five nurse leaders met at an invitational conference in Texas to discuss professional nurse competency evaluation. Conference attendees who were statewide nursing leaders in practice, education, and administration identified ways to evaluate competency. Responses were recorded and clustered into the following patterns: (1) components of competency evaluation, (2) barriers and challenges to evaluating competency, and (3) recommendations for evaluating competency.