title: Nurse Competence Scale--psychometric testing in a Norwegian context.
abstract: The aim was to test the construct validity of the Nurse Competence Scale. The Nurse Competence Scale has been used in hospital settings for various purposes in several countries. Despite this, confirmatory factor analyses are scarcely reported. The present study is based on re-analyses of data from 2007 (i.e. psychometric testing) and 593 newly graduated nurses working in various contexts were included. Confirmatory as well as exploratory factor analyses (Principal Component Analysis) were carried out. The original 7-factor model of the Nurse Competence Scale (73 items) was not confirmed. The exploratory factor analyses resulted in a Norwegian Nurse Competence Scale consisting of 46 items in the following competence categories: Planning and delivery of care, Teaching functions, Professional leadership, Research utilization and nursing values and Professional awareness. The results underline the needs for psychometric testing of an instrument after translation processes. The instrument is suitable for describing and comparing nurse competence for various reasons. It may also be helpful in creating competence development programs at an individual as well as at an organizational level. Further studies with a broader sample are recommended.
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Health, Care and Nursing, Department of Nursing, Gjøvik University College, Norway. Electronic address: Sigrid.Wangensteen@hig.no.
authors.forename: Sigrid
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Wangensteen
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Health, Care and Nursing, Department of Nursing, Gjøvik University College, Norway; Faculty of Health, Science and Technology, Department of Health Sciences, Karlstad University, Sweden.
authors.forename: Inger S
authors.initials: IS
authors.lastname: Johansson
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Health, Science and Technology, Department of Health Sciences, Karlstad University, Sweden; Faculty of Public Health, Department of Nursing, Hedmark University College, Norway.
authors.forename: Gun
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Nordström
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002983:Clinical Competence; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005163:Factor Analysis, Statistical; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009664:Norway; D009741:Nursing Staff, Hospital / Q000193:education*; D011594:Psychometrics / Q000379:methods*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Confirmatory factor analysis; Exploratory factor analysis; Nurse competence; Psychometric testing