The relationship between nursing students' reflective thinking levels and competency of nursing process: a cross-sectional, descriptive study

Aims: Reflective thinking is crucial in nursing education to foster clinical reasoning and the effective implementation of the nursing process. This study aimed to examine the relationship between nursing students’ reflective thinking levels and their competencies in the nursing process. Methods: A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted with 224 nursing students enrolled at a foundation university in 2025. Data were collected using the Reflective Thinking Scale and the Competency of Nursing Process Questionnaire. Non parametric statistical tests, correlation, and regression analyses were performed using SPSS 29.0. Results: Students demonstrated moderate levels of reflective thinking (X=37.46±7.53) and high perceived competency in the nursing process (X=3.81±0.72). A significant positive correlation was found between the "habitual action" subdimension of reflective thinking and nursing process competency (r=0.242, p