Evaluation of the perception of clinical competencies by nursing students in the different clinical settings: an observational study

Introduction. The university educational sphere has many dilemmas. The question of sufficient knowledge and skills for students to acquire abilities to provide care in different clinical setting is one important dilemma. Aim. To measure the level of competencies by nursing students and its application in different clinical environments. Methods. Nursing students of two Italian universities participated in the research. Data collection took place April to July 2015 using the Nurse Competence Scale. The Strengthening Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology Guidelines was used to describe the study. Pearson's chi-square test, Student's t test, and regression tests were used for statistical analysis. Results. The questionnaire response rate was 87.27% (n = 698). Most of the nursing students assessed their level of competency as 'good' and evaluated themselves as more competent than their actual nursing role. Students also appraised themselves as competent either via their clinical practices accomplished or in the therapeutic interventions. Conclusion. This study shows that the self-evaluation of the competencies acquired by nursing students in clinical settings in Latium and Abruzzo is of a good standard. This study also affirms that NCS is a valuable and reliable tool to measure clinical competencies in different clinical settings.