01 — Research output
A decade of peer-reviewed nursing research.
Peer-reviewed publications spanning more than a decade of research on nurse professional competence, translated and studied worldwide.

Year
2026
1 publication
- 01
Engström, M., Xu, L., Nilsson, J., Carlsson, M., & Flodén, A. (2026). Development and validation of two brief versions of the Nurse Professional Competence (NPC) Scale: The NPC-6 and NPC-12. Nurse Education Today, 164, 107141.
View article →
Year
2025
7 publications
- 01
Martinsen, R., Berg, M., Nakrem, S., & Gardulf, A. (2025). Nursing education in crisis: Exploring Norwegian students' competence and learning disruptions amid the COVID-19 pandemic [Report]. University of Inland Norway & Norwegian University of Science and Technology.
View article → - 02
Skavern, H. J., Martinsen, R., Gardulf, A., Smaradottir, A. B., Nysæter, T. M. & Stensvehagen, M. T. (2025). Norske intensiv-, operasjon- og kreftsykepleiestudenters selvrapporterte kompetanse ved oppstart av masterstudiet – en tverrsnittsstudie. Inspira, 20(2):44–57.
View article → - 03
Halabi, J.O., Nilsson, J., Lepp, M. (2025). Evaluating the Impact of a 1-Year Internship Program on Professional Competence, Self-Efficacy, and Perceived Health Among Saudi Arabian Newly Graduated Nurses. Journal of Transcultural Nursing.
View article → - 04
Xu, L., Zhu, K., Nilsson, A., & Engström, M. (2025). Nurse professional competence as a mediator between structural empowerment and person-centered climate in hospital settings. Journal of Nursing Management, 2025, Article 2078705.
View article → - 05
Lusmilasari, L., Perdana, M., Pangastuti, HS., Pertiwi, AAP., Nilsson, J., & Lepp, M. (2025). Translation, Cross-Cultural Adaptation and Validation of the Nurse Professional Competence Scale Into Bahasa Indonesia. International Journal of Nursing Practice, 31:e70064.
View article → - 06
Flodén, A., Lepp, M., Tilander, P., Svensson A., & Nilsson J. (2025). Nurses' Self-Reported Professional Competence: A Cross-Sectional Study at a Regional Teaching Hospital in Sweden. Journal of Clinical Nursing, 0:1–16.
View article → - 07
Tanabe, S., Tanaka, M., Arai, Y., Matsuo, K., Nakrem, S., & Gardulf, A. (2025). Development and psychometric evaluation of the Japanese version of the Nurse Professional Competence Scale Short-Form. Belitung Nursing Journal, 11(2):252-260.
View article →
Year
2024
2 publications
- 01
Högstedt, D., Eriksson, E., Jansson, I. & Engström, M. (2024). Self-rated professional competence and well-being at work after obtaining a Swedish nursing license. International Journal of Nursing Studies, 157.
View article → - 02
Martinsen, R., Ahlin-Søvde, S., Grov, E.K., Andersson E. K., Gardulf A. (2024). Self-reported competence among advanced practice nursing students in Denmark, Finland and Norway. BMC Nursing 23, 301.
View article →
Year
2023
2 publications
- 01
Halabi, J., Nilsson, J., & Lepp, M. (2023). The nurse professional competence scale: Self-reported professional competence among newly graduated nursing students in Saudi Arabia. Saudi Journal for Health Sciences, 12:1, 16-23.
- 02
Xu, L., Lou, Y., Willmer, M., & Engström, M. (2023). Nursing Students' Self-rated Nurse Professional Competence at the End of an International Collaborative Education Program and Follow-up 1 Year Later. Nurse Educator.
Year
2022
2 publications
- 01
Högstedt, D., Jansson, I., Eriksson, E., & Engström, M. (2022). Three paths to a Swedish nursing license. Nurse Education Today.
View article → - 02
Bjuresäter, K., Olsson, C., Larsson, M., & Nilsson, J. (2022). Self-reported professional competence among Swedish Contact Nurses in cancer care. Cancer Care Research Online.
Year
2021
3 publications
- 01
Xu, L., Nilsson, J., Zhang, J., Engström, M. (2021). Psychometric evaluation of Nurse Professional Competence Scale—Short-form Chinese language version. Nursing Open, 00:1–10.
- 02
Halabi, J., Lepp, M., & Nilsson, J. (2021). Professional competence among registered nurses working in hospitals in Saudi Arabia. Journal of Transcultural Nursing.
View article → - 03
Lachmann, H., & Nilsson, J. (2021). Dual use of instruments for assessing nursing students' professional and clinical competence. Nurse Education Today.
View article →
Year
2020
2 publications
- 01
van de Mortel, T., Nilsson, J., & Lepp, M. (2020). Introducing the Nurse Professional Competence Scale in Australia among Bachelor Nursing Students. Collegian.
View article → - 02
Halabi, J., Lepp, M., & Nilsson, J. (2020). Assessing Self-Reported Competence among Registered Nurses Working as a Culturally Diverse Work Force in Public Hospitals in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Journal of Transcultural Nursing, 1-9.
Year
2019
4 publications
- 01
Carlsson, M. (2019). Self-reported competence in female and male nursing students in the light of theories of hegemonic masculinity and femininity. Journal of Advanced Nursing.
- 02
Forsman H., Jansson I., Leksell J., Lepp M., Sunding Andersson C., Engström M., & Nilsson J. (2019). Clusters of competence: Relationship between self-reported professional competence and achievement on a national examination. Journal of Advanced Nursing.
- 03
Nilsson J., Mischo-Kelling M., Thiekoetter A., Deufert D., Cruz Mendes A., Fernandes A., Kirchhoff JW, & Lepp M. (2019). Nurse Professional Competence (NPC) assessed among newly graduated nurses in Higher Educational Institutions in Europe. Nordic Journal of Nursing Research.
View article → - 04
Gardulf A., Florin J., Carlsson M., Leksell J., Lepp M., Lindholm C., Nordström G., Theander K., Wilde-Larsson B., & Nilsson J. (2019). The Nurse Professional Competence (NPC) Scale: A tool that can be used in national and international assessments of nursing education programmes. Nordic Journal of Nursing Research.
View article →
Year
2018
1 publication
- 01
Nilsson J., Engström M., Florin J., Gardulf A., & Carlsson M. (2018). A short version of the nurse professional competence scale for measuring nurses' self-reported competence. Nurse Education Today 71; 233-239.
View article →
Year
2017
1 publication
- 01
Castrèn, M., Mäkinen, M., Nilsson, J., & Lindström, V. (2017). The effects of interprofessional education. International Emergency Nursing 32, 50-55.
Year
2016
4 publications
- 01
Gardulf A. et al. (2016). The Nurse Professional Competence (NPC) Scale: Self-reported competence among nursing students on the point of graduation. Nurse Education Today 36, 165-171.
View article → - 02
Nilsson J., Gardulf A., & Lepp M. (2016). Experience of translation and adaptation of the Nurse Professional Competence (NPC) Scale. Journal of Nursing Education and Practice 6, 100-103.
- 03
Nilsson J. et al. (2016). Disaster nursing: Self-reported competence of nursing students and registered nurses. Nurse Education in Practice 17, 102-108.
- 04
Theander K. et al. (2016). Adjusting to future demands in healthcare — the impact of curriculum changes on nursing students' self-reported professional competence. Nurse Education Today 37, 178-183.
Year
2015
1 publication
- 01
Leksell J., Gardulf A., Nilsson J., & Lepp M. (2015). Self-reported conflict management competence among nursing students on the point of graduation and registered nurses with professional experience. Journal of Nursing Education and Practice 5(8): 82-89.
Year
2014
2 publications
- 01
Nilsson J. et al. (2014). Nursing in a Globalized World: Nursing Students with International Study Experience Report Higher Competence at Graduation. Open Journal of Nursing 4, 848-858.
- 02
Nilsson J., Johansson E., Egmar A-C., et al. (2014). Development and validation of a new tool measuring nurses self-reported professional competence — The Nurse Professional Competence (NPC) Scale. Nurse Education Today 34; 574-580.
View article →