Carolyne Chakua

Critical Assessment of Nurses' Performance in Counselling Tasks: Training Needs, Self-efficacy and Constraints Carolyne Chakua

Counselling is a fundamental element of nursing and is integral to the provision of high quality nursing care. Despite opportunities for nurses to perform counselling, their ability to effectively provide these services using the skills gained in training is an issue of concern. The study thus examined the training needs, self-efficacy and constraints experienced in the performance of counselling among nurses at Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital, Eldoret, Kenya. A mixed method approach was employed, utilizing the concurrent triangulation strategy of data collection. The study identified a theory-practice gap in the training of nurses, revealing that the training was insufficient in preparing nurses for counselling tasks. Self-efficacy of nurses was found to be significantly influenced by age experience and additional training . Finally, nurses identified personal and workplace factors as major constraints in counselling performance. These findings pose significant implications for managers and trainers of healthcare professionals in ensuring the facilitation of an enabling environment for the training and practicing of co