01 — Overview
The NPC Scales
Internationally validated instruments for measuring self-reported professional competence among nurse students and registered nurses.
02 — Versions
Four validated versions of the instrument.
From the original 88-item scale to brief 35-, 12- and 6-item versions.
- ORIGINALNPC-88
The original instrument covering eight competence areas and two themes
- BriefNPC-35
A validated short version across the six specific competency areas.
- BriefNPC-12
A validated short version that enables analysis across the six specific competency areas.
- BriefNPC-6
A global total score for large-scale studies and longitudinal work.
03 — Structure
The NPC-35 and NPC-12 are organized into six core competence areas:
- 01Nursing care
- 02Value-based nursing care
- 03Medical technical care
- 04Care pedagogics
- 05Documentation and administration of nursing care
- 06Development, leadership, and organization of nursing care
04 — Approval
Application and guidelines for use of the NPC Scales
The NPC Scales — the original version (88 items) and the brief versions (35, 12 and 6 items) — are used to measure self-reported professional competence among nurse students and registered nurses.
The NPC Scales© and their manuals may be used free of charge by researchers after formal approval by the NPC Research Group. Approval is granted on a per-study basis. For Application and guidelines, contact Professor Emerita Margret Lepp, margret.lepp@gu.se
05 — Citations
How to cite the NPC Scale.
NPC Scale (88 items)
Nilsson J., Johansson E., Egmar A-C., Florin J., Leksell J., Lepp M., Lindholm C., Nordström G., Theander K., Wilde-Larsson B., Carlsson M., & Gardulf A. (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.
doi.org/10.1016/j.nedt.2013.07.016 →NPC Scale Short Form (35 items)
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.
doi.org/10.1016/j.nedt.2018.09.028 →NPC Scale Short Forms (12 & 6 items)
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.
doi.org/10.1016/j.nedt.2026.107141 →