title: Adjusting to future demands in healthcare: Curriculum changes and nursing students' self-reported professional competence.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Nursing competence is of significant importance for patient care. Newly graduated nursing students rate their competence as high. However, the impact of different designs of nursing curricula on nursing students' self-reported nursing competence areas is seldom reported.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To compare newly graduated nursing students' self-reported professional competence before and after the implementation of a new nursing curriculum. The study had a descriptive comparative design. Nursing students, who graduated in 2011, having studied according to an older curriculum, were compared with those who graduated in 2014, after a new nursing curriculum with more focus on person-centered nursing had been implemented.
  
  
  METHODS
  A higher education nursing program at a Swedish university.
  
  
  METHODS
  In total, 119 (2011 n=69, 2014 n=50) nursing students responded.
  
  
  METHODS
  Nursing students' self-reported professional competencies were assessed with the Nurse Professional Competence (NPC) scale.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There were no significant differences between the two groups of nursing students, who graduated in 2011 and 2014, respectively, with regard to age, sex, education, or work experience. Both groups rated their competencies as very high. Competence in value-based nursing was perceived to be significantly higher after the change in curriculum. The lowest competence, both in 2011 and 2014, was reported in education and supervision of staff and students.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our findings indicate that newly graduated nursing students - both those following the old curriculum and the first batch of students following the new one - perceive that their professional competence is high. Competence in value-based nursing, measured with the NPC scale, was reported higher after the implementation of a new curriculum, reflecting curriculum changes with more focus on person-centered nursing.
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Health, Science, and Technology, Department of Health Sciences, Karlstad University, 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; Faculty of Public Health, Department of Nursing and Mental Health, 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; Faculty of Health and Occupational Studies, University of Gavle, Gavle, Sweden. Electronic address: marianne.carlsson@pubcare.uu.se.
authors.forename: Marianne
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Carlsson
authors.affiliation: 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 Unit for Clinical Nursing Research and for Clinical Research in Immunotherapy, Division of Clinical Immunology, Department of Laboratory Medicine, Karolinska Institute at Karolinska University Hospital, Huddinge, Stockholm, Sweden; The Japan 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 Unit for Clinical Nursing Research and for Clinical Research in Immunotherapy, Division of Clinical Immunology, Department of Laboratory Medicine, Karolinska Institute at Karolinska University Hospital, Huddinge, Stockholm, Sweden; The Japan Red Cross Institute for Humanitarian Studies, Tokyo, Japan. Electronic address: jle@du.se.
authors.forename: Eva
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Johansson
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; Faculty of Public Health, Department of Nursing and Mental Health, Hedmark University College, Hedmark, Norway. Electronic address: gun.nordstrom@gmail.com.
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 Japan Red Cross Institute for Humanitarian Studies, Tokyo, Japan. Electronic address: nilj@kau.se.
authors.forename: Jan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Nilsson
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002983:Clinical Competence; D003479:Curriculum; D004508:Education, Nursing, Baccalaureate; D005260:Female; D006301:Health Services Needs and Demand; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D057566:Self Report; D013338:Students, Nursing; D013548:Sweden
keywords: NPC scale; Nurse competence; Nursing curriculum; Nursing education; Nursing student; Professional nursing