Community service nurses' experiences regarding their clinical competence

Area of Science:

• Nursing Education
• Healthcare Professional Development
• Clinical Competence Assessment

Background:

• South Africa mandates 12 months of compulsory community service for newly qualified nurses.
• Community service provides essential practical experience for nursing graduates.
• This period aims to enhance clinical skills, professional behavior, and critical thinking.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore and describe the experiences of community service nurses (CSNs) regarding clinical competence.
• To identify factors influencing clinical competence during community service placements.

Main Methods:

• Qualitative, exploratory, descriptive, and contextual research design.
• 17 CSNs participated in three focus group discussions in North West Province, South Africa.
• Thematic analysis was employed to analyze transcribed data.

Main Results:

• Four key themes emerged: facilitative experiences, defacilitative experiences, challenges, and suggestions for improvement.
• Identified barriers and enablers to developing clinical competence in CSNs.
• Participants provided insights into enhancing their practical skills and professional growth.

Conclusions:

• Collaboration between CSNs, professional nurses, hospital management, and the South African Nursing Council can improve clinical competence.
• The study's findings informed the development of a clinical competence evaluation tool for NWP.
• Enhancing CSN clinical competence requires a multi-stakeholder approach.