Intern Nurses' Self-Reported Professional Competency, Intention to Leave, Work Stress and Work Satisfaction: A...

Area of Science:

• Nursing Education
• Healthcare Workforce
• Patient Safety

Background:

• High nursing competency is vital for patient safety in adult intensive care units (ICUs).
• Existing research on intern nurse competency has limited generalizability due to educational and clinical variations.
• Intern nurses are graduate professionals undergoing mandatory pre-licensure clinical training.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess perceived professional competence among intern nurses in adult ICUs.
• To investigate the relationship between intern nurse competence and their intention to stay in nursing.
• To explore the association between competence, work stress, and job satisfaction in intern nurses.

Main Methods:

• A cross-sectional online survey was conducted with 960 intern nurses across 16 adult ICUs in Egypt.
• The Nurse Professional Competence Scale-Short Form assessed perceived competence.
• Intention to stay, work stress, and satisfaction were measured using single-item assessments.

Main Results:

• A significant portion of intern nurses reported low competence (approximately one-third).
• 68.4% were identified as potential leavers, 44.3% experienced high work stress, and 55.8% reported low job satisfaction.
• Self-reported competence positively predicted lower work stress and higher job satisfaction, and was linked to reduced intent to leave.

Conclusions:

• Perceived competence is a strong determinant of intern nurses' intention to stay, work stress, and job satisfaction.
• Improving intern nurse competency is essential for enhancing patient care, safety, job satisfaction, and retention.
• Competency-based learning environments and mentorship are recommended to boost intern nurse development and retention.