Development of competence in the first year of graduate nursing practice: A longitudinal study

Abstract

Aim: To determine the extent to which competence develops in the first year of nursing practice in a paediatric setting. Background: Among all the literature related to nursing competence, there have been few studies that have used a standardized tool to determine the development of professional nursing competence in the first year of practice. Design: A quantitative longitudinal design was applied as part of a mixed methods study. Methods: Forty seven nurses commencing a 12-month graduate nurse programme were invited to undertake a self-assessment of their level of competence at four time points; commencement, 3 months, 6 months and 12 months, between January 2013-February 2014. The assessm..