NURSING STUDENTS' EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE AND ITS RELATIONSHIP TO THE STUDY PROCESS

Emotional intelligence is an essential quality that allows us not only to understand ourselves and others better, but also to use our emotions effectively to achieve our personal goals and adapt to different situations in life. It is associated with higher academic achievement and is linked to nursing students' success in clinical practice and learning. A high level of emotional intelligence enhances nursing students' ability to cope with stress. Emotionally strong nursing students who become nurses will be able to recognise and manage their emotions, to be aware not only of their own feelings and those of others, but also to use these feelings to meet the needs of everyday life, to adapt to change and to manage stress.The aim is to review the literature on emotional intelligence in nursing students and its relationship to the study process.Material and methods. An exploratory review of the scientific literature was performed. For the data analysis were selected publications that deals with emotional intelligence of nursing students and its relationship to the study process. Literature sources were searched in the National Library of Medicine (PubMed) and Web of Science platform (Claritative) databases and in the specialized information retrieval system Google Scoolar. Studies and publications from 2019-2024 by authors from different countries were analysed. 25 scientific sources were selected for the review.Results. The analysis of scientific publications revealed that emotional intelligence includes perceiving emotions, using emotions to think, understanding emotions and managing emotions. Higher emotional intelligence is associated with better academic performance, lower stress and stronger social relationships. Developing emotional intelligence improves interpersonal relationships, work performance and adaptability to change, contributing to long-term personal and professional success.Conclusions. High level of emotional intelligence helps to understand your own and others' emotions better. It improves nursing students' academic performance, social skills and psychological well-being. The systematic development of emotional intelligence contributes to successful careers and quality of care.