Comparison of the clinical competence of nurses working in two university hospitals in Iran

Hospitals are integrated with medical universities in Iran and are categorized into three types with respect to educational and health services quality. This cross-sectional study aimed to determine and compare the level of clinical competence of nurses who were working in type 1 and type 2 university hospitals. The clinical competence of all 266 nurses in the two hospitals was assessed by using the self-assessment method. The Nurse Competence Scale, a questionnaire consisting of 73 items, was used to assess the level of clinical competence and the frequency of using skills. The nurses who were working in the type 1 university hospital viewed themselves as more competent than those who were working in the type 2 university hospital. Also, only 70% of the clinical skills were used frequently by the nurses who were working in the type 2 university hospital, in comparison to > 83% for the nurses who were working in the type 1 university hospital. The results can be used for the educational needs assessment of nurses and for modifying the quality of care in hospitals.