Cent Eur J Nurs Midw 2024, 15(3):1197-2018 | DOI: 10.15452/cejnm.2024.15.0018

Mapping the link between graduating nursing students’ professional competence and educational components: a scoping review

Viktorija Kielė1,2, Sanna Koskinen1, Natalja Istomina1,2, Marija Tru¹3, Helena Leino-Kilpi1,4
1 University of Turku, Department of Nursing Science, Turku, Finland
2 Vilnius University, Faculty of Medicine, Institute of Health Sciences, Department of Nursing, Vilnius, Lithuania
3 Klaipeda University, Faculty of Health Sciences, Department of Nursing, Klaipeda, Lithuania
4 The Wellbeing Services County of Southwest Finland / VARHA, Turku University Hospital, Turku, Finland

Aim: To explore the link between nurse professional competence and various educational components within nursing education based on empirical evidence.

Design: A scoping review.

Methods: A comprehensive literature search was conducted from 1999 to 2024 using the Academic Search Premier, Business Source Complete, CINAHL, Education Research Complete, ERIC, and PubMed databases. Data were analysed using thematic analysis.

Results: Thirty relevant studies met the inclusion criteria. The identified competencies were grouped into three main categories: management, nursing intervention, and societal and social competencies. Educational components were divided into two main categories: directive-regulated curricula and optional educational components. Most nurse competencies were linked to one or more educational components.

Conclusion:  This review found that competencies such as patient care initiation, interprofessional teamwork and nurse leadership received more research attention than others. The most frequently studied educational components were study modules / training in nursing curricula and clinical placements. However, no clear link was found between nurse competence and educational components for graduate nurses.

Keywords: competence, educational component, graduating nursing students, nursing education, scoping review

Received: August 5, 2024; Revised: September 3, 2024; Accepted: September 4, 2024; Published: September 10, 2024  Show citation

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Kielė V, Koskinen S, Istomina N, Tru¹ M, Leino-Kilpi H. Mapping the link between graduating nursing students’ professional competence and educational components: a scoping review. Central European Journal of Nursing and Midwifery. 2024;15(3):1197-2018. doi: 10.15452/cejnm.2024.15.0018.
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