Abstract:

The purpose of our study is to explore the competence profiles of nurses in comparison with general workers. We analyzed the questionnaire survey data collected from 2226 nurses, 26 to 40 years old, Clinical Ladder 3 and 4, working for 41 hospitals with more than 400 beds in Japan. We analyzed competencies of the nurses using Progress Report on Generic Skills (PROG). Our subjects’ competence of team management included in the category of teamwork skills in PROG , that of behavior control in the category of personal skills, and that of planning solutions in the category of problem solving skills were significantly lower than those of highly evaluated general workers. Tradition of patriarchy and obedience particular to the organizational culture of nurses, nurses’ shift and standardization of nursing job as a cause of weakening competences of behavior control and planning solutions, discontinuity of nurses’ career are considered to be the nurses’ weakness in team management, behavior control and planning solutions. Revision of the items of PROG for nurses should be done considering these features of nurses’ competences.

Keywords:

PROG, nurses, competence continuity of nurses’ career, the organizational culture of nurses, team management, behavior control, planning solutions, highly evaluated general workers.