Exploring the Rationale Behind Confidence and Competence in Nursing

This essay delves into the crucial relationship between confidence and competence in nursing, as defined by the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia (NMBA). It emphasizes the importance of nurses possessing both self-assurance and the necessary skills to provide safe and effective patient care. The essay explores how confidence influences competence and vice versa, highlighting the NMBA's role in establishing professional standards. It discusses the factors that affect a nurse's confidence and competence, including training, experience, and ethical considerations. The rationale underscores the need for continuous professional development, ethical decision-making, and the impact of these qualities on patient trust and satisfaction. The essay references several scholarly sources to support its arguments, ultimately advocating for a holistic approach to nursing practice where confidence and competence are seen as integral and mutually reinforcing elements. The essay provides a rationale for the NMBA guidelines, reinforcing the need for nurses to be both confident in their decisions and competent in their actions to ensure the best possible patient outcomes.

Running head: RATIONALE
LINK BETWEEN CONFIDENCE AND COMPETENCE WITH NMBA
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author note

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The Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia (NMBA) commences functions as
determined by the Health Regulation Law, in Australia. The part NMBA code chosen for two
confidence and competence are practice safely, collaboratively and effectively. It is vital that
nurses must have confidence in their deed, their capability, and their establishment's provision of
efforts to arbitrate in addition to perform on behalf of the patient when there are chances of harm
(NMBA, 2020). Registered nurses are likely to be competent to work independently, however
some has inadequate preparation and information towards modern technological tools necessary
for liberated preparation. This can be in the stage of alteration with the new environment. It can
be from a new part or task, though others have services in addition to information, nonetheless
deficiencies or have less confidence in placing into practice (Schmidt & McArthur, 2017). The
NMBA states that all the nurses must be confident enough to take decision, and they also need to
be competent for making the patient listen to their decision, and perform accordingly. As NMBA
states that nurses ned to form a good bonding with the patient so that the patient can share their
demands and difficulties with them that would further help in the treatment. Hence, to gain
patients trust and confidence the nurses must be competent in their job to that the patient
develops confidence on them.
Nurses lacking confidence abides influence to competence. The NMBA accentuates that
competence is an imperative benchmark obligatory from every healthcare supplier. It also states
that nurse competence has a substantial role in providing patients with innocuous care.
Confidence and competence in nursing practice (Yeom et al., 2016).
Confidence is mandatory for operative commitment in multidisciplinary background. All nurses
need to be trained with confidence as per the code: book of ethics for nurses and midwives. The
book states that confidence inside nursing practice can be explained in two ways (Lee & Kim,

2RATIONALE
2015). First, nurses must maintain confidentiality and second on is freedom of doubt like
believing in one’s abilities. Nursing confidence is linked with clinical competence by act.
Competence is defined as the potential capacity for functioning in a given situation in nursing.
As per Australian nursing association, the patient has the right to assume registered nurses for
validating professional competence during their careers (Doody & Noonan, 2016). In nursing, it
is a tenure of not only a license but also development of basic skills comprising clinical
competence such as use of nursing process besides procedural skills, universal competence-
statement, problem solving capability, besides moral competence like use of values, ethics and
beliefs. NMBA stated that there are several factors that affect confidence and competence.
The health care field requires nurses who effective in addition to competent in their practices.
Henceforth, there are features that suggestively affect the exceptional performance of a nurse. In
addition, the establishment’s greeting plus sustenance to the workplace environment as well as
nursing practices (Kangasniemi et al., 2015). Furthermore, ethics as nurses implements his
honourable duties besides responsibilities integral characteristics with his expert boundaries,
standards, behavioural and values system. It is also vital to appraise competence with self-
reflection, in addition to external authentication unceasingly.
Self-confidence is an important module of operative clinical performance. It affects competence
to achieve in addition to is achieved by constant exercise of quality enactment enhancing more
expertise as well as confidence. Thus, patients are assured with greater healthcare services.
Though, to start the development, an individual need to believe in oneself and objectify it. All
the nursing codes can only be achieved if the nurse show confidence and is competent for
fulfilling their duty (Nibbelink & Brewer, 2018). The various ways nurse can maintain their
NMBA code with the help of confidence and competence. It is suggested that in critical situation

3RATIONALE
nurses must do whatever they believe to be right by taking risk. Their prime importance would
be benefit of patient. Hence, when the nurses take the drastic decision they need to be confident.
NMBA therefore demonstrates a proper link between competence and confidence. There is some
recommendation for boosting competence and confidence as suggested by NMBA. Improvement
in the nursing skills gives greater confidence by building up over numerous actions or training
periods. There are frequent nursing facilities provided for building up the confidence and thereby
giving enhancement and excellence in the treatment measures. More the specialisation greater
would be the awareness and impressiveness (Fischer, 2017). The nursing code of ethics also
states that the nurse strong in decision making and have skills in getting approval from the
consent. The decision that is made by the nurse strong be competent enough to fulfil the patient’s
queries. Greater the competency greater would be patient’s satisfaction.
Hence, this rationale study proved that nursing profession requires continuous education
as it is a lifetime responsibility. All the nurses need to competent in their capabilities and
confident about their decisions. More learning about responsibilities would help in developing
their confidence that would drive them towards success.

4RATIONALE
References
Doody, O., & Noonan, M. (2016). Nursing research ethics, guidance and application in practice.
British Journal Of Nursing, 25(14), 803-807.
https://doi.org/10.12968/bjon.2016.25.14.803
Fischer, S. (2017). Developing nurses’ transformational leadership skills. Nursing Standard,
31(51), 54-63. https://doi.org/10.7748/ns.2017.e10857
Kangasniemi, M., Pakkanen, P., & Korhonen, A. (2015). Professional ethics in nursing: an
integrative review. Journal Of Advanced Nursing, 71(8), 1744-1757.
https://doi.org/10.1111/jan.12619
Lee, K., & Kim, J. (2015). Nursing Students' Awareness of Career Decision-making Self-
efficacy, Career Search Behavior and Commitment to Career Choice. Perspectives In
Nursing Science, 12(1), 42. https://doi.org/10.16952/pns.2015.12.1.42
Nibbelink, C., & Brewer, B. (2018). Decision-making in nursing practice: An integrative
literature review. Journal Of Clinical Nursing, 27(5-6), 917-928.
https://doi.org/10.1111/jocn.14151
NMBA. (2020). Code of conduct for nurses (pp. 1 to 20). Retrieved 12 April 2020, from
https://www.nursingmidwiferyboard.gov.au/Codes-Guidelines-Statements/Professional-
standards.aspx
Schmidt, B., & McArthur, E. (2017). Professional nursing values: A concept analysis. Nursing
Forum, 53(1), 69-75. https://doi.org/10.1111/nuf.12211
Yeom, H., Ahn, S., & Kim, S. (2016). Effects of ethics education on moral sensitivity of nursing
students. Nursing Ethics, 24(6), 644-652. https://doi.org/10.1177/0969733015622060