Competencies expected of undergraduate nursing students: A scoping review

Nursing competencies are crucial indicators for providing quality and safe care. The lack of international agreement in this field has caused problems in the generalization and application of findings. The purpose of this review is to identify the core competencies necessary for undergraduate nursing students to enter nursing work.

We conducted a structured search using Scopus, MEDLINE (PubMed), Science Direct, CINAHL, Web of Science, and Google Scholar.

We conducted a scoping review using the methodology recommended by the Joanna Briggs Institute, supported by the PAGER framework, and guided by the PRISMA-ScR Checklist. Inclusion criteria included full-text articles in English, quantitative and qualitative research related to competencies for undergraduate students or newly graduated nurses, competency assessment, and tool development from 1970 to 2022. We excluded articles related to specific nursing roles, specific contexts, Master's and Ph.D. curricula, hospital work environment competencies, and editorial.

Out of 15,875 articles, we selected 43 studies, and data analysis with summative content analysis identified five themes named individualized care, professional nursing process, nursing administration, readiness, and professional development.

Considering the dynamics of competencies and their change with time, experience, and setting, it is necessary to update, localize, and levelling of the proposed competencies based on the culture of each country.

These competencies provide a guide for undergraduate nursing curriculum development and offer a framework for both clinical instruction and the evaluation of nursing students.