The relationship between clinical competence and psychological capital in nurses working in the emergency departments

Clinical competence is one of the key indicators in evaluating the performance of nurses and the quality of nursing care. Psychological capital has a positive impact on job performance. This study aimed to evaluate the relationship between clinical competence and psychological capital among nurses working in emergency departments.

This study employed a cross-sectional design. The sample consisted of 220 nurses who were randomly selected from the list of nurses working in the emergency departments of hospitals affiliated with Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences during the period of 2020-2021. Data were collected using the Competency Inventory for Registered Nurses and the Psychological Capital Questionnaire developed by Luthans et al. Finally, data analysis was performed using Pearson correlation and linear regression analysis.

The results indicated that the average score for clinical competence among the nurses participating in this study was at a moderate level (163.81 ± 29.54), while psychological capital was at a high level (113.33 ± 15.76). The results of Pearson's correlation coefficient analysis revealed a positive and significant relationship between clinical competence and its dimensions with psychological capital and its dimensions among nurses (P < 0.01). Clinical competence had the highest regression effect on nurses' psychological capital, with a standardized beta coefficient of 0.716.

Enhancing nurses' clinical competence can foster their psychological capital, which in turn promotes professional skills and personal growth. Consequently, clinical competence contributes to positive aspects of human life both scientifically and practically.