Assessment of the Spiritual Nursing Care Competencies of Nursing Students in the Ilocos Region, Philippines: A Descriptive Correlational Study.

The study aimed to assess the spiritual nursing care competencies of BSN students in Region 1 through the utilization of a descriptive-correlational research design involving the 424 Levels 2 - 4 BSN students and 125 clinical instructors from 14 selected higher education institutions. Data were gathered through questionnaires and were analyzed using frequency percentage, mean, and Pearson Correlation Coefficient. Findings revealed that the extent of the spiritual nursing care competencies of BSN students in Region 1 is moderate (spiritual nursing knowledge: x2 = 11.18; spiritual values: x2 = 3.77; and spiritual nursing skills: x2 = 2.76). There is a very weak positive, statistically significant correlation between the students' year level and spiritual values (r = 0.135, SD = 0.63, p < 0.01) and spiritual nursing skills (r = 0.153, SD = 0.62, p < 0.01). Furthermore, a very weak inverse significant relationship was revealed between the school category (r = -0.113, SD = 0.62, p < 0.05) and the level of accreditation (r = -0.101, SD = 0.62, p < 0.05) to their spiritual nursing skills. The BSN students in Region 1 are reasonably competent in rendering spiritual nursing care. Their year level, school category, and school accreditation are important factors to better spiritual nursing skills. As they advance in the year level, they are likely to assimilate spiritual values that are indispensable in delivering spiritual nursing care. However, amidst this favorable competence, clinical instructors still see the students as work in progress, capable of excelling. Thus, the utilization of the training module, which is an output of this endeavor, can help the nurse educators mold BSN students to advance their spiritual nursing care competence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]