Evaluation of Competencies in Nursing Students. a Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract

Objective: To evaluate the competencies of the final year undergraduate nursing students. Theoretical Framework: It is based on the theories that support the development of nursing competencies: behaviorism, trait theory and holism. Nursing competence is considered as a complex integration of knowledge that includes professional judgment, skills, values and attitude, and represents a core component for correct care management and the practice of safe and quality care. Method: The research was quantitative, cross-sectional and descriptive. It was carried out at the nursing school of a public university in the province of Manabí, Ecuador. A sample of 175 students was selected from a total of 318 enrolled in the eighth and ninth semesters, with a confidence level of 95% and a margin of error of 5%. The Hsu & Hsieh (2013) Nursing Student Competency Inventory was used, a 43-item questionnaire organized into six dimensions. The rating was obtained using a Likert scale from 0 to 5. Descriptive statistics were used to describe the demographic characteristics and the professional and nursing competence of the participants. In addition, a comparative analysis of correlations between the domains of professional competence and the sociodemographic characteristics of nursing students was carried out. Results and Discussion: The study achieved a response rate of 100% (175/175). The majority of students were women (65.1%) and were in their eighth semester of nursing (57.7%). Students assessed themselves as reasonably competent in nursing, with the "ethics and responsibility" domain scoring the highest (X̅= 65.38, SD +11.1) and the "critical thinking and reasoning" domains (X̅ = 18.29 (SD +3.4)) and "clinical biomedical sciences" having the lowest scores (X̅ = 22.82, SD +3.4). The results did not estimate a predictive relationship between gender and the type of student residences. Research Implications: This research provides implications for education policies promoting higher standards and more effective approaches in teaching and assessing competencies. Originality/Value: The findings of this study are key to the design of nursing programs that meet high quality standards and respond to the health needs of the population, aligned with the WHO Global Strategic Guidelines for Nursing and Midwifery. The conclusions highlight the need to work the development of critical thinking and reasoning, as well as the design of nursing curricula with more time dedicated to biomedical clinical sciences, with a holistic and non-biomedical approach.