Identifying the Core Competencies Required for Nursing Graduates: A Thematic Analysis

Nursing graduates' competency is an important issue in health care because it is related to professional standards, patient safety and quality of nursing care.The purpose of this study was to identify the core competencies required by nursing graduates.

This qualitative study was conducted with the participation of 35 nursing experts through semi-structured interviews and multiple purposeful sampling in 2018-19. Data analysis was performed by manual coding and through thematic analysis with inductive approach and the Attride-Stirling model. Validation was promoted by using strategies such as implementing a systematic process of recording data, increasing the number and variety of interviewers, reviewing the data frequently, controlling members and external reviewers; And the reliability measurement was performed manually through retest reliability and reliability between the two coders, and after the coding was completed, the results of these two coding were compared with each other and the holistic method was used.

In the thematic analysis process, a total of 342 basic themes were extracted, which were classified into 34 sub-organizer themes and 14 main organizer themes, and finally 9 global themes were identified that included Specialized and professional competencies, individual, interpersonal and communicational, ethical and behavioral, educational and research, social and cultural, leadership and management, information technology and knowledge management; and inter-professional and global competencies.

Empowering nursing graduates to different types of skills and dimensions of core competencies not only helps ensure the quality and effectiveness of care and thereby enhances community health, but also preserves the social value and status of the nursing profession.