Nursing Competence Self-Efficacy Scale (NCSES-25)

Description

The Nursing Competence Self-Efficacy Scale (NCSES-25) is a specialized self-report psychometric instrument developed to assess nurses’ perceived self-efficacy regarding their professional competencies in clinical practice. Based on Bandura’s theory of self-efficacy, the scale evaluates nurses’ confidence in their ability to perform essential nursing tasks effectively, safely, and independently across a variety of healthcare settings.

The NCSES-25 consists of 25 items covering a broad spectrum of professional nursing competencies, including clinical decision-making, leadership, teamwork, patient safety, ethical practice, evidence-based nursing, communication, advocacy, and the management of complex clinical situations.

The instrument is widely applicable in clinical nursing practice, nursing education, professional development, competency assessment, and healthcare research. It is frequently used to evaluate educational interventions, identify professional development needs, and monitor changes in nurses’ confidence throughout their careers.

Analysis and Use of Data

Analysis of NCSES-25 data provides a comprehensive evaluation of nurses’ perceived competence and confidence in delivering high-quality patient care.

Statistical analysis commonly includes:

  • Descriptive statistics (mean, standard deviation, median, and score distribution).
  • Assessment of internal consistency using Cronbach’s alpha.
  • Evaluation of test–retest reliability to determine score stability over time.
  • Examination of construct validity through Exploratory and Confirmatory Factor Analysis (EFA/CFA).
  • Comparison of competency levels across demographic and professional groups (e.g., education level, years of experience, specialty, or workplace).
  • Correlation analyses with variables such as burnout, resilience, job satisfaction, organizational commitment, professional competence, and quality of patient care.
  • Regression analyses to identify factors associated with higher or lower nursing self-efficacy.

According to the validation results presented in the uploaded document, the NCSES demonstrates excellent overall reliability (Cronbach’s α = 0.968). The dataset was highly suitable for factor analysis (KMO = 0.937; Bartlett’s Test p < 0.001), and the extracted factors explained approximately 70% of the total variance.

Objective

The primary objective of the Nursing Competence Self-Efficacy Scale (NCSES-25) is to provide a reliable and valid measure of nurses’ confidence in performing professional nursing competencies required for safe, effective, and evidence-based patient care.

More specifically, the scale aims to:

  • Assess nurses’ confidence in their clinical competence.
  • Evaluate decision-making and problem-solving abilities.
  • Measure leadership and teamwork skills.
  • Assess preparedness for managing complex and rapidly changing clinical situations.
  • Evaluate competence in ethical decision-making and patient advocacy.
  • Support educational evaluation and professional development programs.
  • Monitor competency growth throughout nurses’ professional careers.
  • Contribute to research on nursing performance, healthcare quality, and workforce development.

Scoring

The NCSES-25 consists of 25 items, each rated on a 9-point Likert scale, where:

  • 1 = I am certain I cannot do it
  • 9 = I am certain I can do it

The overall score is calculated by summing or averaging the individual item scores, depending on the scoring protocol adopted by the study. Higher scores indicate greater perceived nursing competence and self-efficacy.

In the Greek validation presented in the uploaded document, factor analysis identified three principal dimensions:

  1. Leadership (Nursing Leadership Competencies) – Cronbach’s α = 0.915
  2. Competence (Clinical Practice Skills) – Cronbach’s α = 0.945
  3. Altruism (Prevention, Patient Care, and Patient Advocacy) – Cronbach’s α = 0.928

Item 12 was excluded from the final factor structure because it demonstrated similar and relatively weak loadings across all three factors.

References

Kennedy, S. (2013). The Nursing Competence Self-Efficacy Scale (NCSES).