title: Is the competence of Swedish Registered Nurses working in municipal care of older people merely a question of age and postgraduate education?
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Previous studies suggest that not only education but also personal aspects such as experience of working as a registered nurse (RN) and age can influence competence. The objective was to explore the educational and self-rated competence of RNs and their duties within the care of older people.
  
  
  METHODS
  A cross-sectional descriptive design was used. All RNs in two counties in Sweden were asked to complete a written questionnaire: a study specific questionnaire with educational and work related questions using the Nurse Competence Scale. The response rate was 61% (n 344).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Higher self-rated satisfaction with own professional competence was related to older age, more years after nursing education and possessing at least one postgraduate education in specialist nursing. Educational needs were related to younger age and fewer years since nursing graduation. Education within elder care, including education about drugs was rated the most urgently needed area of education. The most frequently reported tasks were found in the domain helping role, whereas ensuring quality was less present in their daily work.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Educational level, age and years of experience had an impact on RNs' self-perceived competence, which is in accordance with previous descriptions of the concept competence. It seems imperative that RNs working in care of the old and with the demands placed on them are given the opportunity to take a postgraduate specialist education in order to gain a competence level in their desired area of work. It is also important that RNs working in care of the old get tailored education in line with the requirements the organisation places on them.
authors.affiliation: Department of Health Care Sciences, Ersta Sköndal University College, Stockholm, Sweden.
authors.forename: Michaela
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Karlstedt
authors.affiliation: Department of Public Health and Caring Sciences, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden.
authors.forename: Barbro
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Wadensten
authors.affiliation: Department of Health Care Sciences, Ersta Sköndal University College, Stockholm, Sweden.|Department of Neurobiology, Health Care and Social Sciences, Karolinska Institutet, Huddinge, Sweden.
authors.forename: Ingegerd
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Fagerberg
authors.affiliation: Department of Public Health and Caring Sciences, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden.
authors.forename: Ulrika
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Pöder
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D002983:Clinical Competence; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004506:Education, Nursing; D005260:Female; D005851:Geriatric Nursing / Q000592:standards*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009726:Nurses / Q000592:standards*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013548:Sweden; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: community care; competence; cross-sectional design; municipal care of the old; nurse education; nurse roles; older people; quantitative study; registered nurses; work organisation