Background: Nursing competencies affect patient health and recovering from disease. Nurses' scores in school and their grades to pass the nursing license examination may have certain correlation with nursing competence.Purposes: The purpose of this study was to illustrate the relationship between students' six nursing competencies, their scores in school and their grades to pass the nursing license examination.Methods: The research design of this study was a cross-sectional survey research with the purposive sampling. The research subjects were the four-year under-graduated nursing students in an eastern university. Thirty-one students were recruited. Data were collected by the structured nursing competence questionnaire, students' scores in school of nursing and their grades of passing the nursing license examination.Results: The average score of the students' six nursing competencies in order: the ability to take care of 3.80, communication ability 3.78, the ability to self and professional growth 3.77, teaching ability 3.71, management ability 3.56, research ability 3.42, with a total nursing competencies 3.69. Subjects perceived ability to care for the best nursing competencies, followed by communication ability; ability to consciously worst of research ability, followed by management ability. The results showed that the score to pass the nursing license examination were positively correlated with students' scores in Obstetrics and Pediatrics Nursing and in Psychiatric and Community Nursing (r=0.38, r=0.39, respectively; p<.05). Correlation analysis indicated that the caring ability had positive correlation with Medical-Surgery nursing score in school (r=0.39, p<0.05). Moreover, there were significant positive correlation between communication skills and basic nursing score in school (r=0.39, p<0.5; r=0.37, p<0.5).Conclusions/Implications for Practice: The findings of this study could further serve as a reference for nursing education to improve nursing curricula and teaching strategies for nurse preparation. It may also be a guideline for nursing administration personnel in on-the-job training and orientation programs for nursing staff.
Background: Nursing competencies affect patient health and recovering from disease. Nurses' scores in school and their grades to pass the nursing license examination may have certain correlation with nursing competence.Purposes: The purpose of this study was to illustrate the relationship between students' six nursing competencies, their scores in school and their grades to pass the nursing license examination.Methods: The research design of this study was a cross-sectional survey research with the purposive sampling. The research subjects were the four-year under-graduated nursing students in an eastern university. Thirty-one students were recruited. Data were collected by the structured nursing competence questionnaire, students' scores in school of nursing and their grades of passing the nursing license examination.Results: The average score of the students' six nursing competencies in order: the ability to take care of 3.80, communication ability 3.78, the ability to self and professional growth 3.77, teaching ability 3.71, management ability 3.56, research ability 3.42, with a total nursing competencies 3.69. Subjects perceived ability to care for the best nursing competencies, followed by communication ability; ability to consciously worst of research ability, followed by management ability. The results showed that the score to pass the nursing license examination were positively correlated with students' scores in Obstetrics and Pediatrics Nursing and in Psychiatric and Community Nursing (r=0.38, r=0.39, respectively; p<.05). Correlation analysis indicated that the caring ability had positive correlation with Medical-Surgery nursing score in school (r=0.39, p<0.05). Moreover, there were significant positive correlation between communication skills and basic nursing score in school (r=0.39, p<0.5; r=0.37, p<0.5).Conclusions/Implications for Practice: The findings of this study could further serve as a reference for nursing education to improve nursing curricula and teaching strategies for nurse preparation. It may also be a guideline for nursing administration personnel in on-the-job training and orientation programs for nursing staff.