CARING ABILITIES IN NURSING STUDENTS FROM A CHILEAN TRADITIONAL UNIVERSITY

Abstract

The objective was to measure the psychometric properties of the Caring Ability Inventory by Ngozi Nkongho, as well as the degree of caring skills and its relationship with the students' sociodemographic factors. Method: The design of the study was qualitative, correlational and cross-sectional. The instrument, Caring Ability Inventory by Ngozi Nkongho, was applied to a sample of 314 nursing students. Results: The findings, via exploratory factor analysis, identified three arising factors which were different from those proposed by the author; however, they possess theoretical plausibility. Those factors are: willingness to help, appreciation for the experience of others, and self-confidence. Statistically significant and direct correlation was observed among the factors. Significant differences were observed regarding willingness to help between the group composed by first and second year students (basic level), and the group composed by third, fourth and fifth year students (advanced level). Thus, basic level students showed a lower degree of willingness to help than advanced level students. Regarding sex, differences were observed only in the first factor, in which women showed a better willingness to help than men. Conclusion: The research shows that the instrument used efficiently measures the students' caring abilities, clinical experience progressively increases caring abilities; therefore, the instrument is presented as a possible choice to evaluate some aspects regarding the quality of the care given.