بررسي عوامل موثر بر كسب شايستگي باليني از ديدگاه پرستاران

Factors Defined by Nurses as Influential Upon the Development of Clinical Competence

Introduction: Competence is acknowledged as a controversial issue in health care settings, which affects many different aspects of the nursing profession such as education, practice and management. Although a number of research and discussion papers have explored the issue of competence in nursing and in particular the meaning and assessment of nursing competence, to date little research has been carried out to survey the factors identified by nurses themselves as being influential upon the development of professional competence in nursing. In this regard, this study attempted to reveal factors that contribute to the formation of competence based on nursesʹ experience. Once these factors understood, managers and educators might be able to implement appropriated strategies to boost nursing competence development. Objective: This study was conducted to explore and identify factors described by nurses as influential on the development of professional competence in nursing. Materials and Methods: This study is a qualitative study, which was done through content analysis. The sample consisted of fifteen registered nurses who were recruited from two Tabriz university-affiliated hospitals, which were chosen by non-probable sampling and by "sampling based on objective". Tape-recorded semi-structured interviews were used as the data collection method. The contents of the interviews were transcribed into statements based on chosen methodology and then analysed. Results: Six interrelated categories were identified from the collected data. These categories, which have some degrees of overlap, include, (I) experience (II) opportunities (III) environment (IV) personal characteristics (V) motivation (VI) theoretical knowledge. Conclusions: Based on the findings obtained, a wide domain of internal and external personal conditions and factors influence achieving clinical competence. An understanding of these factors gives nursing managers and educators a scientific basis for closer dealing with this debatable issue. Nurses need this knowledge to be better able to pursue effective competency development pathways and ultimately to be prepared for providing a high standard of care. Thus the findings of this study could have important implications for nursing practice, management and education.