Tímarit hjúkrunarfræðinga - 2024, Side 58

56 Tímarit hjúkrunarfræðinga | 1. tbl. 100. árg. 2024
Competence of nursing studendts during their final year and oneyear post-graduation, learning environment and its effect on the competence: A descriptive panel study
ENGLISH SUMMARY
Competence of nursing students during their final year
and one year post-graduation, learning environment
and its effect on the competence: A descriptive study
Sveinsdottir H., Svavarsdottir M.H., Blöndal K., Thorsteinsson H.S., Ingadottir B.
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to examine general competence,
moral competence, and safety in nursing among Icelandic nursing
students during their final year and one-year post-graduation.
Furthermore, describe their self-assessed learning environment,
including well-being during clinical studies and competence of
nursing teachers as well as examine the relationship between
these.
Method
This was a descriptive panel-study with data collected
electronically from nursing students (N=117) in Iceland who
graduated in 2019. The Nurse Competence Scale (IS-NCS) was
used, which comprises 73 items in seven categories (helping role,
teaching/coaching role, diagnostic functions, managing situations,
therapeutic interventions, ensuring quality and work role). Each
item was measured on a scale of 0 (very low competence) to 100
(very high competence). Moral courage and safety in nursing was
measured on a scale of 0 (low) to 100 (high). Learning environment
was measured with the scales Clinical Learning Environment
Supervision and Nurse Teacher Scale and Tool for Evaluation of
Requirements of Nurse Educator and other additional questions.
Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and inferential
statistics.
Results
Students’ response rate were 55% (n=64) and 59% (n=33)
one-year post-graduation. There was no significant difference in
self-assessed competence between measurements. For students,
the average competence was 69.1 (SD=11.5), highest in diagnostic
functions (M=75.6) and lowest in teaching/coaching role, (M=66.3).
One-year post-graduation, the average competence was 68.5
(SD=12.3), highest in helping role (M=78.2) and lowest in ensuring
quality (M=63.9). Mean self-assessed moral courage and safety in
nursing was good (M from 69.3 to 76.0). In general, the students
rated the learning environment as good and were satisfied with
academic and clinical studies. There was a significant positive
correlation between the total scale and most subscales of the
IS-NCS with self-rated moral strength and safety in nursing.
Conclusion
Findings show that the learning environment contributes to
good competence as assessed by nurses and that the students
evaluate their learning environment and their own competence at
graduation and a year later as good. It can also be concluded that
the program encourages ethical preparation during and after the
program ends.
Keywords
Competency, moral courage, nursing students, nursing studies,
learning environment.
Correspondent
herdis@hi.is