Caring behaviors and nursing competency among nursing students in Taiwan: a cross-sectional study

BACKGROUND: Caring behaviors are essential for providing high-quality, patient-centered care and constitute a core component of professional nursing practice. Ensuring that nursing students demonstrate competent caring behaviors is crucial for preparing them for professional practice. However, there is a lack of research investigating the relationship between caring behaviors and nursing competency simultaneously. This study aimed to explore the association between caring behaviors and nursing competency among nursing students enrolled in three education programs in Taiwan. METHODS: A cross-sectional study with an analytical design was conducted with 600 nursing students recruited through random cluster sampling from multiple nursing programs within one institute in Taiwan. After excluding 35 incomplete questionnaires, 565 participants were included in the final analysis. Participants completed the Chinese versions of the Caring Behaviors Scale (CBS) and the Nursing Competency Scale (NCS). Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and Pearson's correlation analysis to examine associations between caring behaviors and nursing competency, with supplementary subgroup analyses for selected demographic variables. RESULTS: Caring behaviors were moderately positively correlated with overall nursing competency and its subdomains. Among caring behaviors, "knowing the patient" was most frequently reported, including behaviors related to recognizing patients' unique values, attending to patients' concerns, and supporting family involvement in decision-making. The highest-rated nursing competencies reflected respect for clients and families, empathic communication, and ethical practice. CONCLUSIONS: Caring behaviors were moderately associated with nursing competency among nursing students. These findings suggest that caring may represent an important component of professional development within nursing education. However, given the analytical cross-sectional design, the observed associations should not be interpreted as causal. Integrating caring-focused strategies into competency-based nursing curricula may help support students' professional readiness and compassionate, person-centered care.