Development and validation of a new tool measuring nurses self-reported professional competence — The nurse professional competence (NPC) Scale

• Objectives: To develop and validate a new tool intended for measuring self-reported professional competence among both nurse students prior to graduation and among practicing nurses. The new tool is based on formal competence requirements from the Swedish Board of Health and Welfare, which in turn are based on WHO guidelines. Design: A methodological study including construction of a new scale and evaluation of its psychometric properties. Participants and settings: 1086 newly graduated nurse students from 11 universities/university colleges. Results: The analyses resulted in a scale named the NPC (Nurse Professional Competence) Scale, consisting of 88 items and covering eight factors: “Nursing care”, “Value-based nursing care”, “Medical/technical care”, “Teaching/ learning and support”, “Documentation and information technology”, “Legislation in nursing and safety planning”, “Leadership in and development of nursing care” and “Education and supervision of staff/students”. All factors achieved Cronbach's alpha values greater than 0.70. A second-order exploratory analysis resulted in two main themes: “Patient-related nursing” and “Nursing care organisation and development”. In addition, evidence of known-group validity for the NPC Scale was obtained.

Subject headings

SAMHÄLLSVETENSKAP  -- Utbildningsvetenskap (hsv//swe)

SOCIAL SCIENCES  -- Educational Sciences (hsv//eng)

MEDICIN OCH HÄLSOVETENSKAP  -- Hälsovetenskap (hsv//swe)

MEDICAL AND HEALTH SCIENCES  -- Health Sciences (hsv//eng)

MEDICIN OCH HÄLSOVETENSKAP  -- Hälsovetenskap -- Omvårdnad (hsv//swe)

MEDICAL AND HEALTH SCIENCES  -- Health Sciences -- Nursing (hsv//eng)

Keyword

Nurses' competence

Professional nursing

Nursing education

Nursing students

Graduate nurses

Quality of care

Safety in healthcare

Scale development

Validation

Psychometric properties

Graduate nurses; Nurses' competence; Nursing education; Nursing students; Professional nursing; Psychometric properties; Quality of care; Safety in healthcare; Scale development; Validation

Hälsa och välfärd

Education

Publication and Content Type

ref (subject category)

art (subject category)