Self-reported competence among advanced practice nursing students in Denmark, Finland and Norway: A cross-sectional multicentre study

Abstract

Abstract Background: The healthcare systems in Nordic countries and worldwide are under press due to increase in the population of older people and shortage of nurses. Educating nurseswith a high level of competence, such as advanced practice nurses is of great importance to secure effective, safe and high-quality care. Aim: The aim of this study was to investigate self-reported competence among master’s students of advanced practice nursing in Denmark, Finland and Norway. Methods: A multicentre, cross-sectional study design was used and conducted at five universities in Denmark, Finland and Norway. The Nurse Professional Competence Scale Short-Form forming six competence areas was used with a maximum score 7 per item for analysis of single items and a transformed 1-100 scale for analysing the competence areas (higher score, higher self-reported competence). Descriptive and comparative statistics were used to analyse the data. Results: The highest mean score was found for the competence area ‘Value-based nursing care’. Students living with home-dwelling children (≤18 years) reported a significantly higher competence regarding ‘Nursing care’, while students ³33 years reported significantly higher competence regarding ‘Nursing care’ and ‘Value-based Nursing care’. No significant differences were found between the students working or not working alongside their studies, between students with or without further nursing-related education or between students having long or short experiences as nurses. Conclusion: The findings from this study might contribute to a further development of the curriculums in advanced practice nursing to ensure high-quality nursing and a sustainable health care in the future. Future high-quality master’s programmes might benefit from a systematically collaboration between Nordic higher education institutions. Higher age, having children at home and working while studying should not be considered factors of concern.