PSYCHOMETRIC PROPERTIES OF THE NURSE MANAGER COMPETENCY INSTRUMENT FOR RESEARCH.

Competent nurse managers (NM) are essential to create safe and healthy work environments and support frontline nurses. Measuring NM competence with a valid and reliable instrument is critical in research. We assessed the psychometric properties of the Nurse Manager Competency Instrument for Research (NMCIR). Item analysis, internal consistency analysis, and confirmatory factor analysis were performed with a sample of 594 NMs. The NMCIR showed high internal consistency. The 26 items were loaded on ten factors with a good overall fit, supporting the hypothesized factor structure. However, the findings showed poor discriminant validity. The NMCIR demonstrates sound psychometric properties for use in studies of NM competence. Further evaluation of the NMCIR is recommended to improve discriminant validity.