Effects of Intensive Care Nursing Certificate Program on the Professional Competences: A Randomize Controlled Trial

Objectives: Intensive care units are places where the follow-up, treatment and care of critically ill patients are undertaken. Nurses working in these units need to specialize in the field of intensive care, increase the quality of nursing care they provide, improve their professional skills and competences. The research aimed to determine the effect of the intensive care certificate program, which is an important part of the professional development process, in order to improve the knowledge, skills, attitudes and competences of nurses on their professional competence. Materials and Methods: This study was conducted with a randomized controlled trial design. The study group consisted of 60 intensive care nurses in total, 30 in the intervention group and 30 in the control group. Data were collected using a nurse information form and the Nursing Professional Competence Scale. The study was conducted from April 19, 2021, through August 27, 2021.Results: After the certificate program, it was observed that the nurses in the intervention group had higher patient diagnosis, nursing process application, health/disease education, professional development, ethical practice, critical thinking and teamwork, and research and development competences than the control group.Conclusion: It would be recommended to support the participation of intensive care nurses in different certificate programs, in-house/outsourced in-service trainings, congresses and symposiums to improve their professional knowledge, skills and competences, and to conduct qualitative studies to determine the effect of intensive care nursing certificate programs on the professional competences of nurses.