Clinical Competence among MSc Students of Critical Care Nursing

Introduction: Assessment of clinical competence is of great importance in nursing which identifies the scientific gap between university education and clinical needs among graduate nurses. Hence, the aim of this study was to evaluate the clinical competence among MSc students of critical care nursing. Methods: In this descriptive cross-sectional study, 250 MSc students of critical care nursing were selected by convenience sampling from 17 state nursing schools of Iran in 2013-2014. A researcher-made questionnaire was used to collect data in five areas of care management, technical competence, individual management, patient-oriented care and scholarship. The content and face validity of the questionnaire were assessed and its reliability was calculated by Cronbach’s alpha coefficient for internal consistency (α = 0.86).A five-point Likert scale was used to measure the items. The collected data were analyzed using independent t-tests and one-way ANOVA. Results: Ultimately, 217 questionnaires were analyzed. The total mean score of clinical competence was 4.30±0.41. The mean scores were 4.38±0.43 for care management, 4.40±0.56 for technical competence, 4.36±0.45 for individual management, 4.29±0.60 for patient-oriented care, and 3.66±0.79 for scholarship. Clinical competence was 4.23±0.43 in males and 4.36±0.39 in females (p=0.001, T=-2.15). There was a significant difference between years of education in scholarship area (p =0.01, T=30.15). Conclusion: The results showed that the clinical competence of female students was higher than male students. Also the level of clinical competence was high in most areas however, it was different in terms of years of education in the scholarship area. Accordingly, a revised curriculum is recommended to enhance the efficiency of this course. It is recommended that more field studies be conducted on this area.