Tuberculosis education for nurse practitioner students: where we are and where we need to go

Tuberculosis (TB) has reemerged as a public health concern. This study tested the reliability and validity of an instrument examining self-efficacy in providing TB care, beliefs about educational preparation, and knowledge about TB among nurse practitioner students from diverse programs. A one-time self-report instrument was distributed during a final clinical course. Rasch analysis was used to assess the instrument's reliability and validity. Most of the 92 respondents were from family nurse practitioner programs and had received TB education via lecture. Students were moderately knowledgeable on TB content and had a moderate level of perceived self-efficacy. They valued TB education as it related to both their current program and their clinical practice. The instrument had excellent reliability (alpha = 0.96 to 0.98), and it appears to be an effective measure to help faculty understand student knowledge and confidence in the care of individuals with TB.