SELF/Perioperative Nursing/Donning Sterile Gown and Gloves/Psychomotor Skills Practice Assessment

Psychomotor Assessment Rubric for Gowning and Gloving (ECSACONM)

Overview

This page provides a psychomotor assessment rubric for evaluating gowning and gloving competency, developed for perioperative nursing training under ECSACONM (East, Central and Southern Africa College of Nursing). It is a companion assessment tool to the Donning Sterile Gown and Gloves Skills Practice Instructions page, used by evaluators to rate student/practitioner performance on each step of gowning and gloving on a 5-point scale.

Purpose

To provide a standardized scoring framework for assessing clinical competency in donning the sterile gown and gloves, ranging from "Clinically Unacceptable / Not Performed" (1) to "Excellent" (5), with defined criteria at each anchor point.

Rating Scale

1 – Clinically Unacceptable / Not Performed: Unsafe, incorrect, or incomplete
2 – (between 1 and 3, no separate descriptor)
3 – Clinically Acceptable / Performed: Safe, correct and complete with minor omissions that do not compromise safety
4 – (between 3 and 5, no separate descriptor)
5 – Excellent / Well performed: Safe, complete, precise, and well-articulated

Assessment Rubric

Step	Name	Assessment Method	1 – Clinically Unacceptable / Not Performed	3 – Clinically Acceptable / Performed	5 – Excellent
1	Gather supplies	Articulated	Not done	Done
2	Open table drape and gown and glove packs	Articulated	Not done	Done
3	Surgical hand scrub	Articulated	Not done	Done
4	Prepare gown	Observed	Grasps the gown incorrectly, allows it to contact non-sterile surfaces, fails to step into a clear area, or unfolds the gown unsafely	Grasps the gown only by the inside neckline, steps into a clear area, keeps the gown away from the body and non-sterile surfaces, and unfolds it appropriately with only minor hesitations	Grasps, positions, and unfolds the gown smoothly, confidently, and independently while consistently maintaining sterility and excellent control throughout
5	Slide both hands and forearms into arm holes and sleeves	Observed	Hands protrude through the sleeve cuffs, gown contacts non-sterile surfaces, or arms are inserted incorrectly	Inserts both arms smoothly while maintaining hands inside the sleeve cuffs and keeping the gown correctly oriented with only minor technique corrections	Performs the maneuver confidently with excellent sleeve control, maintains proper hand position throughout, and consistently preserves the sterile barrier
6	Ask or position self for the circulating nurse to secure the gown	Observed	Fails to communicate with the assistant, allows contamination, or extends fingers through the sleeve cuffs	Communicates appropriately with the assistant and maintains sleeve control while the gown is secured with only minor prompting	Demonstrates excellent communication, anticipates assistant movements, maintains sterility throughout, and coordinates the maneuver smoothly
7	Open glove packet without contamination	Observed	Fingers emerge from the sleeve cuffs, skin contacts the glove packet or sterile field, or gloves are incorrectly oriented	Opens the glove packet while keeping hands inside the sleeves, maintains sterility, and correctly orients the gloves with only minor adjustments	Opens the glove packet smoothly, efficiently, and without contamination while maintaining excellent glove orientation throughout
8	Position the first glove for donning	Observed	Drops the glove, positions it incorrectly, attempts to glove the wrong hand, or allows fingers to protrude through the sleeve cuffs	Correctly positions the glove on the receiving sleeve, maintains proper orientation, and stabilizes the cuff while maintaining sterility	Positions the glove precisely, maintains excellent coordination and orientation, and prepares the glove for effortless application
9	Pull on the first glove	Observed	Tears the glove, exposes fingers before the glove covers the sleeve cuff, misaligns the glove, or uses excessive force	Applies the glove using coordinated movements while maintaining sleeve coverage and only minor glove adjustment is required	Applies the glove smoothly with excellent coordination, complete sleeve coverage, proper finger placement, and no unnecessary force or adjustment
10	Adjust the first glove	Observed	Uses excessive force, leaves the sleeve bunched inside the glove, or exposes the sleeve cuff during adjustment	Gently adjusts glove alignment and cuff position while maintaining complete glove coverage	Makes minimal, efficient adjustments that achieve excellent alignment and cuff overlap without compromising sterility
11	Position the second glove for donning	Observed	Drops the glove, misorients it, advances fingers through the cuff, or lowers the hands below waist level	Correctly positions the second glove while maintaining hand position, orientation, and sterility with only minor corrections	Positions the glove confidently with precise orientation, coordinated movements, and excellent control throughout
12	Pull on the second glove	Observed	Tears the glove, exposes fingers prematurely, twists the glove, or loses sleeve coverage during application	Applies the glove correctly using coordinated movements while maintaining sleeve coverage and proper finger placement	Applies the glove smoothly, confidently, and independently with excellent coordination, complete sleeve coverage, and no unnecessary adjustment
13	Adjust the second cuff and the fingers of each glove as necessary	Observed	Uses excessive force, leaves cuffs bunched, or pulls the sleeve out of the glove cuff	Correctly adjusts both gloves, aligns the fingers, and maintains proper cuff overlap with only minor corrections	Performs minimal, precise adjustments resulting in excellent glove fit, alignment, and unrestricted hand movement while maintaining sterility
14	Secure the sterile gown	Observed	Performs the securing maneuver incorrectly, contaminates the gown, communicates poorly with the assistant, or turns incorrectly	Correctly secures the gown using the appropriate method for the gown type while maintaining sterility and communicating effectively	Secures the gown confidently and efficiently with excellent coordination, communication, and complete maintenance of sterility throughout the maneuver
15	Final check of sterility and proceed to sterile field	Articulated	Not done	Done

Page data
Keywords	surgery, health
SDG	SDG03 Good health and well-being
Authors	Ian-laurel
License	CC-BY-SA-4.0
Organizations	SELF, ECSACONM
Language	English (en)
Related	0 subpages, 1 pages link here
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Created	July 13, 2026 by 2607:FEA8:3441:6400:9DB7:3F82:7765:2223
Last edit	July 13, 2026 by StandardWikitext bot
Cite as	"SELF/Perioperative Nursing/Donning Sterile Gown and Gloves/Psychomotor Skills Practice Assessment". Appropedia. 2026. Retrieved July 15, 2026.
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