Social competence of mental health nurses

IntroductionThe effectiveness of therapeutic interventions is highly determined by social competence of healthcare professionals. High level of interpersonal skills is particularly important in mental health nursing, where interpersonal relations are both the integral part and the most important source of the nursing process.AimThe purpose of the study is to reveal differences in the level of social competence between mental health nurses and general nurses.Material and methods150 registered nursing practitioners from Warmia and Mazury region participated in the study. Analysis included data obtained from 94 nurses. Social Competence Questionnaire (SCQ) was used.Results and discussionThe level of social competence of the majority of studied nurses (75%) is within an average range (sten 4–7). Mental health nurses have a significantly higher level of social competence than general nurses, with regard to the scale measuring the ability to maintain close interpersonal contact.ConclusionsTo increase the level of social competence of nurses, standards of both undergraduate and postgraduate education should be verified and reviewed.