Professional Competence in Nursing: A Hybrid Concept Analysis

Abstract

Objectives: Nurses, as the largest group providing health care services, play a critical role in the continuity of care and respond to services commensurate with their competence. Professional competence in nursing is a complex and ambiguous concept and needs the redefinition of competence and development of its definition and concept. In this study, we aimed to conceptually analyze professional competence in nursing. Methods: In this study, a hybrid concept analysis was used. In the literature review phase, the concept of 'competence' was investigated through valid databases limited to 2000-2018 and the participants' experiences also appeared in the fieldwork phase. In the fieldwork phase, the participants revealed some aspects of professional competence in nursing, which were not well-addressed in the literature. Finally, the comprehensive definition of professional competence in nursing was presented after integrating the findings obtained in these two phases. Results: According to the findings, professional competence in nursing is a combined, complex, multidimensional, and contextdependent concept, and consists of different domains. Based on the analysis results of the fieldwork phase, this concept was classified into 16 domains and the participants largely contributed to the provision of a comprehensive definition based on the definitions of professional competence presented in the literature. Conclusions: Based on the domains of professional competence in nursing obtained from this study, an appropriate instrument can be developed to assess professional competence in nursing for students and nurses.

The impact of Mental Health Nurse Consultants on the care of general hospital patients experiencing concurrent mental health conditions: An integrative literature review

“…Building the capacity of staff to provide mental health care of all GH patients through the development of both staff competence (knowledge, attitude, and skills) (Valizadeh et al 2019) and confidence (being able to apply knowledge to practice in terms of actions and behaviour) (Zieber & Sedgewick 2018) is necessary for a sustained improvement in mental health care of GH patients. This is especially so given the high rates of mental health conditions in GH patients, the ongoing difficulties that GH nurses experience in attending to the mental health needs of GH patients, and the unresolved issue that Australian nurses continue to graduate with inadequate preparation in mental health (Happell et al 2020).…”

The ways specialist nursing students understand the work in the ambulance service - a national Swedish phenomenographic study

“…The hierarchical relationships in the study findings ( Figure 1 ) show a continuum of the understanding of the work from a protocol-based and limited approach to a more flexible and holistic approach, portraying a multifaceted competence profile. Professional competence is a complex concept in nursing with a number of definitions (Valizadeh et al, 2019 ) and there are different ways of theorizing and explaining professional development (Dall’Alba & Sandberg, 2006 ). Professional competence is “ a complex, relative, context-dependent and variable concept, and combines an individual’s knowledge, skills, attitudes, and logical, scientific, and behavioral attributes, on the basis of which one can perform his roles professionally and independently in a standard manner and have an appropriate clinical judgment in different situations ” (Valizadeh et al, 2019 , p. 6).…”

“…Professional competence is a complex concept in nursing with a number of definitions (Valizadeh et al, 2019 ) and there are different ways of theorizing and explaining professional development (Dall’Alba & Sandberg, 2006 ). Professional competence is “ a complex, relative, context-dependent and variable concept, and combines an individual’s knowledge, skills, attitudes, and logical, scientific, and behavioral attributes, on the basis of which one can perform his roles professionally and independently in a standard manner and have an appropriate clinical judgment in different situations ” (Valizadeh et al, 2019 , p. 6). According to the framework of Dall’Alba and Sandberg ( 2006 ), a professional development towards expertise is not only dependent on the development of a situated skilful know-how that often comes with experiences but is also dependent of the clinicians’ embodied understanding of the work.…”

Factors influencing nurses’ knowledge and attitudes toward patients in chronic pain with opioid use disorder: A literature review

“…Competency is defined as the effective use of knowledge, skills, clinical reasoning, emotions, and reflection in the clinical setting for the benefit of the individuals and community being served. [37] Our review highlighted the complexity of managing patients in chronic pain with OUD that nurses encounter in their daily practice. [24,26] Therefore, nurses require special competencies to care for these patients effectively and promote their wellbeing.…”