Validation of the Nursing Competency Scale for Intensive Care Unit Nurses and Prediction of Nursing Competency Using the Clinical Ladder

Purpose : This study aims to examine the validity of the clinical grade-based nursing competency scale developed for intensive care unit (ICU) nurses and to provide foundational evidence for human resource management and development of ICU nurses. Methods : Data were collected from 180 ICU nurses across seven hospitals. A previously developed 309-item nursing competency scale, based on a clinical ladder system for ICU nurses, was revised through expert review and content validation to reflect current ICU practices, resulting in 128-item scale across 12 domains. Data were analyzed using t-tests, ANOVA, and Scheffé post-hoc tests. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis was conducted to assess the predictive accuracy using a clinical ladder. Results : Nursing competencies differed significantly according to the clinical ladder. Proficient nurses scored significantly higher than nurses in other grades in clinical judgment and measures (F=9.44, p ＜.001), ward work processing ability (F=11.43, p ＜ .001), resource management (F=5.77, p =.001), developing others (F=7.43, p ＜.001), and overall competence (F=6.62, p ＜.001). ROC analysis showed good predictive power for the proficient (AUC=0.71), whereas the novice nurses demonstrated sufficient predictive power (AUC=0.61). Conclusion : The findings suggest that this scale is valid for evaluating ICU nurses’ competency across the clinical ladder and may provide foundational data for workforce development and competency-based assessments.