Factors Associated with Nurses’ Competence in Neonatal Intensive Care Units

The survivor rate of premature and low birth weight neonates is increasing; however the number of newborns who require admission to NICUs is increasing. The hospitalised neonates and their parents need to receive competent care. Competent is a multi-faceted and it is difficult to provide a single definition for it. Although having broad range of knowledge and technical skills can be considered among the most important aspects of competency, it seems these are not the only criteria for assessing neonatal nurses’ competency. The purpose of this paper is elaborating on the different components of competency among neonatal nurses. Integrating skills and knowledge with some other important elements such as critical thinking, leadership and mentoring ability, tendency to do research, safe and ethical practice along with effective communication, professional development, understanding the nonverbal of the neonates and planning based on their individual needs can be considered as necessary aspects of providing competent care in NICUs.