Abstract
Aim. The aim of the study is to examine the level of awareness regarding the development of individual professional competences among Associate Degree Nursing students, particularly in relation to communication and working in a healthcare team. Additionally, the study aims to analyse their opinions on the importance and role of learning communication both during their studies and within the healthcare team.
Material and methods. We used a quantitative, descriptive, non-experimental method of empirical research. For statistical analysis we utilized Levene’s and T-test. The measurement instrument employed was a questionnaire that was completed by 147 students of the Nursing Care programme.
Results. Respondents have the highest level of awareness concerning the importance of communication for effective teamwork (x=4.9) and for the successful treatment of patients under the care of the team (x=4.9). We found that there were no statistically significant differences in mean awareness of the importance of good communication according to gender (p=0.914), age (p=0.482), level of education (p=0.997) and job complexity (p=0.399).
Conclusions. Successful patient treatment depends on high-quality communication. Weekly meetings, communication training, and supervision can be excellent tools for enhancing the communication competences of nursing staff.