A study of nursing competency, career self-efficacy and professional commitment among nurses in Taiwan

Abstract

Background: Professional commitment, maintaining nursing competency, and improving self-efficacy could be necessary to enhance the quality of care service in Taiwan.

Aim: The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationships among nursing competency, career self-efficacy, and professional commitment in hospital nurses.

Methods/design: We used a stratified cluster random sampling method for the selection. To take 762 nurses with work experience of more than 6 months were selected from 2 regional hospitals and 3 district hospitals in Taiwan. The nurses answered a self-report questionnaire, which was categorized into four sections: Personal background data, nursing competency, career self-efficacy, and professional commitment.

Results/findings: The results indicate that nursing competency and career self-efficacy of nurses were at a high level, whereas professional commitment was at a medium level. Nursing competency, career self-efficacy, and professional commitment were significantly positively correlated.

Conclusion: The career self-efficacy and professional commitment of medical and nursing personnel can help to increase nursing competency and to improve the quality of medical and nursing care.

Keywords: career self-efficacy; nurses; nursing competency; professional commitment.