Aims and background: This paper identifies and classifies indicators for competent nursing practice and validates these indicators in a variety of settings. Descriptive data to address competent practice in a variety of settings were collected from staff nurses, head nurses and nursing directors in an acute 1000-bed university hospital in Finland.
Method: The data obtained from 25 expert groups were analysed to identify a clinical set of indicators for competent nursing practice from the data. The relevance of this set of indicators in a variety of clinical settings was further validated with a second sample of expert nurses (n = 26). Thereafter, data were analysed to identify generic competencies that were applicable to all clinical working environments.
Results: Twenty-three generic indicators of competent nursing practice were identified in a variety of settings. The findings suggest that these competence indicators are meaningful to nurses with various backgrounds and practice settings.
Conclusions: Collaboration and coordination, as well as the holistic management of the situation, are highly recognized as meaningful characteristics of competent nursing practice.