{"title":"Assessing Professional Competencies Among Undergraduate Jordanian Nursing Students: A Cross-Sectional Study.","authors":"Aya Al-Ali, Salam Bani Hani, Emran A Abu Aqoulah","doi":"10.1177/23779608251337241","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Introduction: </strong>To make sure that nursing students are capable of providing high-quality care and are adequately prepared for the workforce, it is imperative to evaluate the professional abilities of undergraduate nurses.</p><p><strong>Objectives: </strong>This study aims to assess the core professional competencies among undergraduate nursing students and evaluate the mean differences between professional competencies with student's demographic characteristics.</p><p><strong>Materials and methods: </strong>A descriptive, cross-sectional comparative design was used. A total of 150 nursing students were recruited using the convenient sampling method. Data were collected using the Nurse Professional Competence Scale (NPCS)-short version 35 items. Data were collected conveniently through an online form that was filled and submitted through a Google survey link that was started from February 8, 2024, to September 21, 2024. Descriptive statistics were used to describe the demographics of participants. Pearson correlation, <i>t</i>-test, and ANOVA were used.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The overall average competencies of nursing students were 80.8 ± 10.7 indicating high competency scores among nursing students. At .05 significant level (two-tailed), the correlation was significant between marital status (<i>r</i> = -.170, <i>p</i> = .037). Independent <i>t</i>-test results showed that there were no significant differences between age (<i>t</i> = 0.357, <i>p</i> = .35), marital status (<i>t</i> = 2.11, <i>p</i> = .411), and their previous taking of nursing courses (<i>t</i> = 3.25, <i>p</i> = .22). On the other hand, ANOVA indicated that age has a significant effect on overall professional competencies since higher age has an obvious effect on nursing competencies (F = 10.8, df = 2; <i>p</i> = .001).</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>The findings of this study can help educators and curriculum designers create programs that fill up the theoretical-clinical gaps, making graduates more capable of handling the demands of healthcare settings. Furthermore, to produce well-rounded, capable, and self-assured nursing professionals who can effectively contribute to patient care in Jordan, our findings highlight the necessity of enhancing clinical training, curriculum development, mentorship, and support system, conducting a professional development workshop, and collaborating with healthcare institutions.</p>","PeriodicalId":43312,"journal":{"name":"SAGE Open Nursing","volume":"11 ","pages":"23779608251337241"},"PeriodicalIF":2.0000,"publicationDate":"2025-04-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12035202/pdf/","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"SAGE Open Nursing","FirstCategoryId":"1085","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1177/23779608251337241","RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":null,"ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"2025/1/1 0:00:00","PubModel":"eCollection","JCR":"Q2","JCRName":"NURSING","Score":null,"Total":0}
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Abstract
Introduction: To make sure that nursing students are capable of providing high-quality care and are adequately prepared for the workforce, it is imperative to evaluate the professional abilities of undergraduate nurses.
Objectives: This study aims to assess the core professional competencies among undergraduate nursing students and evaluate the mean differences between professional competencies with student's demographic characteristics.
Materials and methods: A descriptive, cross-sectional comparative design was used. A total of 150 nursing students were recruited using the convenient sampling method. Data were collected using the Nurse Professional Competence Scale (NPCS)-short version 35 items. Data were collected conveniently through an online form that was filled and submitted through a Google survey link that was started from February 8, 2024, to September 21, 2024. Descriptive statistics were used to describe the demographics of participants. Pearson correlation, t-test, and ANOVA were used.
Results: The overall average competencies of nursing students were 80.8 ± 10.7 indicating high competency scores among nursing students. At .05 significant level (two-tailed), the correlation was significant between marital status (r = -.170, p = .037). Independent t-test results showed that there were no significant differences between age (t = 0.357, p = .35), marital status (t = 2.11, p = .411), and their previous taking of nursing courses (t = 3.25, p = .22). On the other hand, ANOVA indicated that age has a significant effect on overall professional competencies since higher age has an obvious effect on nursing competencies (F = 10.8, df = 2; p = .001).
Conclusion: The findings of this study can help educators and curriculum designers create programs that fill up the theoretical-clinical gaps, making graduates more capable of handling the demands of healthcare settings. Furthermore, to produce well-rounded, capable, and self-assured nursing professionals who can effectively contribute to patient care in Jordan, our findings highlight the necessity of enhancing clinical training, curriculum development, mentorship, and support system, conducting a professional development workshop, and collaborating with healthcare institutions.
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