title: The Nurse Professional Competence (NPC) Scale: Self-reported competence among nursing students on the point of graduation.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  International organisations, e.g. WHO, stress the importance of competent registered nurses (RN) for the safety and quality of healthcare systems. Low competence among RNs has been shown to increase the morbidity and mortality of inpatients.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To investigate self-reported competence among nursing students on the point of graduation (NSPGs), using the Nurse Professional Competence (NPC) Scale, and to relate the findings to background factors.
  
  
  METHODS
  The NPC Scale consists of 88 items within eight competence areas (CAs) and two overarching themes. Questions about socio-economic background and perceived overall quality of the degree programme were added. In total, 1086 NSPGs (mean age, 28.1 [20-56]years, 87.3% women) from 11 universities/university colleges participated.
  
  
  RESULTS
  NSPGs reported significantly higher scores for Theme I "Patient-Related Nursing" than for Theme II "Organisation and Development of Nursing Care". Younger NSPGs (20-27years) reported significantly higher scores for the CAs "Medical and Technical Care" and "Documentation and Information Technology". Female NSPGs scored significantly higher for "Value-Based Nursing". Those who had taken the nursing care programme at upper secondary school before the Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) programme scored significantly higher on "Nursing Care", "Medical and Technical Care", "Teaching/Learning and Support", "Legislation in Nursing and Safety Planning" and on Theme I. Working extra paid hours in healthcare alongside the BSN programme contributed to significantly higher self-reported scores for four CAs and both themes. Clinical courses within the BSN programme contributed to perceived competence to a significantly higher degree than theoretical courses (93.2% vs 87.5% of NSPGs).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Mean scores reported by NSPGs were highest for the four CAs connected with patient-related nursing and lowest for CAs relating to organisation and development of nursing care. We conclude that the NPC Scale can be used to identify and measure aspects of self-reported competence among NSPGs.
authors.affiliation: The Unit for Clinical Nursing Research and Clinical Research in Immunotherapy, Division of Clinical Immunology, Department of Laboratory Medicine, Karolinska Institutet at Karolinska University Hospital, Huddinge, Stockholm, Sweden; The Japanese Red Cross Institute for Humanitarian Studies, Tokyo, Japan. Electronic address: ann.gardulf@ki.se.
authors.forename: Ann
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Gardulf
authors.affiliation: The Japanese Red Cross Institute for Humanitarian Studies, Tokyo, Japan; Faculty of Health, Science, and Technology, Department of Health Sciences, Karlstad University, Karlstad, Sweden. Electronic address: nilj@kau.se.
authors.forename: Jan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Nilsson
authors.affiliation: The School of Education, Health and Social Studies, Dalarna University, Falun, Sweden. Electronic address: jfl@du.se.
authors.forename: Jan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Florin
authors.affiliation: The School of Education, Health and Social Studies, Dalarna University, Falun, Sweden; Department of Medical Sciences, Clinical Diabetology and Metabolism, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden. Electronic address: jle@du.se.
authors.forename: Janeth
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Leksell
authors.affiliation: The Institute of Health and Care Science, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden; Østfold University College, Halden, Norway. Electronic address: margret.lepp@gu.se.
authors.forename: Margret
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Lepp
authors.affiliation: Sophiahemmet University, Stockholm, Sweden. Electronic address: c.lindholm@telia.com.
authors.forename: Christina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Lindholm
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Health, Science, and Technology, Department of Health Sciences, Karlstad University, Karlstad, Sweden; Hedmark University College, Hedmark, Norway. Electronic address: gun.nordstrom@kau.se.
authors.forename: Gun
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Nordström
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Health, Science, and Technology, Department of Health Sciences, Karlstad University, Karlstad, Sweden; The Primary Care Research Unit, County Council of Värmland, Karlstad, Sweden. Electronic address: kersti.theander@kau.se.
authors.forename: Kersti
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Theander
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Health, Science, and Technology, Department of Health Sciences, Karlstad University, Karlstad, Sweden; Hedmark University College, Hedmark, Norway. Electronic address: bodil.wilde@kau.se.
authors.forename: Bodil
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Wilde-Larsson
authors.affiliation: Department of Public Health and Caring Sciences, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden; The Faculty of Health and Occupational Studies, University of Gävle, Sweden. Electronic address: marianne.carlsson@pubcare.uu.se.
authors.forename: Marianne
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Carlsson
authors.affiliation: Department of Nursing, Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.
authors.forename: Eva
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Johansson
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D004506:Education, Nursing; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011361:Professional Competence; D013338:Students, Nursing / Q000523:psychology*; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Graduate nurses; NPC Scale; Nurses' competence; Nursing education; Nursing students; Professional nursing; Quality in care; Safety in care