Objective:

Analyze the self-assessment of the professional competencies of nurses in a tertiary care public hospital related to their work characteristics.

Material and Methods:

Quantitative, descriptive correlational study of 162 nursing professionals in the hospitalization services of a tertiary care public hospital, using the validated instrument “Professional competencies for nursing graduates”, with a Cronbach’s Alpha reliability of 0.97, the study complied with the stipulations of the Regulations of the General Law of Health on Research.

Results:

Of the nursing professionals evaluated, 77.2% were female; the predominant age range was 41-45 years with 50.6%, mostly married (44.4%). The most outstanding characteristics were seniority of 11 to 14 years (48.1 %) and a bachelor’s degree (49.4 %). The overall level of professional competencies was 164.8 (SD=11.4) out of a maximum score of 200, the ethics indicator stands out with a mean of 33.85 (SD=2.88), followed by the comprehensive care indicator with a mean of 33.33 (SD=3.22). No statistically significant relationship was found between the professional competencies of the nursing staff and the work characteristics.

Conclusions:

The nursing staff is perceived as competent to provide comprehensive care with ethical attachment; however, there is a demand to strengthen dimensions such as education, research and management that contribute to the continuous improvement of quality and safety in care.

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