Translation, adjustment and adaption of The Nurse Professional Competence Scale

Educational institutions have a responsibility to ensure that nurses have a competence that is in accordance with the needs of society to ensure quality in nursing. For that reason, it is necessary to map the nursing students' competence. The Nurse Professional Competence scale is an instrument that has proven to be appropriate in this context. This article aims to present the translation, adjustment and testing of the instrument in a Norwegian context. Initially, the scale has been translated in accordance with approved recommendations. During translation, concepts in the instrument have been adjusted to the Norwegian context. The instrument was tested on 127 students. The reliability of the instrument ranged with a Cronbach's alpha from 0.69 to 0.92. In addition, a panel of 11 students, divided into two focus groups, were interviewed to strengthen the validity of the instrument. The students find that the instrument covers the competencies in nursing and is consistent with the content of their education. We recommend the scale in mapping nursing students' total competence after completion of education. Further studies are required to validate the instrument.