Clinical skills of undergraduate nursing students in clinical training

Abstract Introduction: The training of students in a clinical context plays a decisive role in consolidating their skills. It is essential to identify and assess skills throughout the teaching process in order to improve the teaching/learning process and, in conjunction with this, healthcare. Objective: To assess clinical competencies in undergraduate nursing students and to analyze the influence of sociodemographic variables on these competencies. Methods: A quantitative, descriptive, and exploratory study aimed at evaluating the clinical competence of nursing students in a clinical education context. The Clinical Competence Questionnaire (CCQ) was applied, a validated instrument adapted to the Portuguese population, which allows the measurement of levels of clinical competence across multiple dimensions fundamental to professional practice. The sample consisted of 251 undergraduate nursing students from three Nursing Schools in the Lisbon and Tagus Valley region, belonging to both the public and private sectors. The study received favorable approval from the Ethics Committees of the participating institutions. Results: The results suggest that nursing students demonstrate higher competence in professional behaviors and overall performance, whereas core and advanced competencies show lower scores, particularly in more specific technical procedures. Conclusion: This study highlights a pattern of progression in the development of clinical competencies throughout academic training, while also identifying limitations related to the organization of clinical education and pedagogical strategies in Nursing.