Perceived Clinical Competence in Healthcare Settings among Graduating Nursing Students

Abstract

Background: Clinical competence is essential in preparing nursing students for safe and effective practice. Differences in clinical exposure across healthcare settings may influence the development of these competencies. Aims: To assess the perceived clinical competence of graduating nursing students across private and public healthcare settings. Study Design: Descriptive-Comparative design. Place and Duration of Study: College of Nursing of a private institution in Iloilo City, Philippines, between 6th September 2025 and 4th March 2026. Methodology: A total of 221 graduating Bachelor of Science in Nursing students were selected from a population of 517 using simple random sampling. Data were collected using the adopted Clinical Competence Questionnaire. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize the data, while the Kolmogorov-Smirnov test assessed normality. The Wilcoxon Signed-Rank Test was applied to determine differences between settings. Ethical clearance was obtained prior to the conduct of the study. Results: Findings revealed that among the 221 graduating nursing student respondents, clinical exposure varied across healthcare areas, with greater exposure to specialized units in private healthcare facilities and surgical wards in public settings. Students demonstrated a positive level of perceived clinical competence in both private (mean = 4.02) and public (mean = 3.97) healthcare settings, indicating adequate theoretical knowledge and practical skills but still requiring supervision. Inferential analysis showed a significant difference was found in overall clinical competence (P = .005), particularly in nursing professional behaviors (P = .000) and general performance (P = .003), favoring private healthcare settings. No significant differences were observed in core nursing skills (P = .342) and advanced nursing skills (P = .090). Conclusion: Graduating nursing students exhibited adequate competence in both settings; however, advanced skills remain underdeveloped. Enhanced clinical exposure and supervision are recommended to improve readiness for independent practice.