Table 1.
Factor structure of critical nursing competences
| Factor 1 (34.1% of the variance, Cronbach's α = 0.9090): Clinical care and service management |
| Undertaking technical nursing procedures (0.655) |
| Assessing patients' psychological and social needs (0.645) |
| Recognizing and managing risk in clinical care (0.576) |
| Developing a shared mission of clinical goals (0.568) |
| Assessing patients' physical needs (0.552) |
| Showing patients and their families how to do things (0.536) |
| Establishing a relationship with patients (0.515) |
| Undertaking health promotion and prevention activities (0.512) |
| Analysing patient data (0.509) |
| Consulting with colleagues about care options (0.501) |
| Assisting patients in making informed choices (0.496) |
| Prioritizing work according to patients' needs (0.488) |
| Writing clinical, shift and other reports (0.480) |
| Working as a member of a team (0.477) |
| Using technical equipment (0.442) |
| Getting on with colleagues (0.441) |
| Making decisions about patients' clinical problems (0.437) |
| Designing systems for patient monitoring/observation (0.427) |
| Appraising own and others' performance (0.426) |
| Factor 2: (5.1% of the variance, Cronbach's α = 0.8942): Managing change and the application of knowledge |
| Actively assisting in change management activities (0.690) |
| Introducing new ideas into own clinical work (0.683) |
| Interpreting results from clinical investigations (0.657) |
| Inputting data into written or computerized records (0.620) |
| Instructing/training students/junior staff (0.576) |
| Undertaking budget planning activities (0.552) |
| Collecting own clinical/patient/surveillance data (0.547) |
| Planning patients' discharge (0.544) |
| Undertaking clinical examinations of patients (0.538) |
| Interpreting own patient data (0.525) |
| Developing joint working relationships with others (0.514) |
| Critically evaluating published research (0.501) |
| Locating and accessing equipment for clinical work (0.439) |
| Factor 3 (3.5% of the variance, Cronbach's α = 0.7970): Case management and networking |
| Applying pharmacology to practice (0.674) |
| Assessing costs and outcomes of procedures (0.631) |
| Undertaking administrative duties (0.627) |
| Liaising with other health care professionals (0.590) |
| Identifying areas worthy of investigation in practice (0.584) |
| Requesting laboratory investigations and results (0.549) |
| Making appropriate patient referrals (0.425) |
| Planning/organizing patients' treatment (0.388) |