The Saudi government is currently facing multiple challenges in achieving “The Gold Standard” in nursing practice. This is not limited to educational challenges, staffing shortage, paucity of international and national benchmark evidence, absence of clear and defined scope of nursing practice, and lack of appropriate policies and regulations. This study presented a comprehensive plan for developing a policy based on current challenges, recognition of policy goals, assessment of potential options and alternatives, identification of stakeholders, proposition of recommended solutions, and implementation of the framework to transform nursing standards and link these changes with the Saudi Vision 2030. However, amendments are required in the present strategic plan for the better management of the nursing profession. It is doubtful that the current nursing profession status quo is capable of meeting the golden standards for health care. Thus, the transformation of the nursing profession in Saudi Arabia is necessary.

Objectives: To assess nurses’ knowledge and attitudes toward pain management in intensive care units (ICUs) in Saudi Arabia. Methods: A cross-sectional correlational study was carried out at 5 governmental hospitals in the Al-Qassim region (namely, Buraydah Centeral Hospital, King Fahad Spcialist Hospital, Al Rass General Hospital, Bukariyah General Hospital, and Al Badaya General Hospital) using purposive sampling to collect data between May 2020 and July 2020. Nurses’ awareness of pain management was assessed using the Nurses’ Knowledge and Attitudes Survey Regarding Pain (NKASRP). Statistical Pacaksge for the Social Sciences software was used for data analysis. Descriptive statistics were employed. The Spearman’s correlation test was carried out to determine correlations. Results: The mean score for ICUs nurses’ pain management awareness was 22.59, suggesting knowledge and behaviors deficits toward pain management. Positive correlations were found between nurses’ age, total years of clinical nursing experience, and their total score on pain management awareness. Nurses’ gender, religion, education, and years of experience as ICU nurses showed no association with their scores on NKASRP. Conclusion: Insufficient pain management knowledge and unacceptable attitudes were established among nurses owing to several barriers and obstacles. Pain assessment and management educational programs should be held regularly for all nurses in the Al-Qassim, Saudi Arabia, especially ICU nurses.

Background and Objectives: Emotional intelligence refers to a social skill, which enables individual to better regulate emotions and cope up with the different demands and environmental pressures. This assists in enhancing professional competence enabling better delivery of services. This paper aimed to examine the consequences of emotional intelligence in the nursing profession by presenting its concepts, definitions, models, and implications.Methods: A literature review study was made and articles were searched from various databases including Scopus, EMBASE, ProQuest, PsychINFO, and CINAHL, using key terms “emotional intelligence,” “nursing,” and “concept analysis” from 2000 to 2019. Twenty articles were included following their compliance with the inclusion and exclusion criteria and removing of the duplications.Results: Social and personal attributes affect emotional intelligence. Self-awareness, relation-ships, self-management, and social awareness are other important components of emotional intelligence. The nursing professional explains a social and personal aspect that emotional intelligence entails and further portrays a meaningful role of emotional intelligence in both the sensitivity and moral dimension of clinical practice.Conclusion: The nursing professionals who possess increased emotional intelligence experience few emotional psychosomatic symptoms and emotional exhaustion, greater workshop collaboration and teamwork, more satisfaction with their jobs, fewer unidentified patient care needs, and better emotional health.

Low recruitment of Saudi nationals into the nursing profession, coupled with a growing population, has led to a severe nursing shortage in Saudi Arabia, particularly of nurses with advanced qualifications in clinical nursing. While the role of nurse practitioner has been successfully integrated into the healthcare systems of the U.S., Canada, the UK and Australia for decades, the advanced practice registered nurse (APRN), which includes nurse practitioners and clinical nursing specialists, is still not being implemented effectively in Saudi Arabia due to a variety of regulatory, institutional and cultural barriers. The author looks at some of those barriers and offers recommendations of how they might be overcome. Given that in many parts of the world, nurse practitioners are considered an essential component to meeting healthcare demands, the author considers the question of whether APRNs can find a role in Saudi Arabia’s healthcare system.

Since the nursing professional values have garnered attention as a principal criterion for safe‒quality nursing practice, it was measured using the Nurses Professional Values Scale‒three. We aimed to validate and ascertain the psychometric indicators of the Arabic version of the Nurses Professional Values Scale–three among Saudi student nurses. This methodological study recruited student nurses using convenience sampling from two nursing colleges at KSA. About 438 valid questionnaires were returned out of 500 questionnaires which were distributed over students in a formal day class time; representing a response rate of 87.6%. A 2‒fold cross‒validation process was adopted. A transcultural process was conducted. Face, content, and construct validity using exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were used. Convergent and discriminant validity were also assessed. The reliability of the scale was assessed using Cronbach's alpha. Face validity was achieved. The content validity of items ranged from .83 to 1.00, while it was .96 for the overall scale. The exploratory factor analysis yielded a scale containing 28 items with a three‒factor model, explaining 74.5% of the total variance. Confirmatory factor analysis confirmed that three‒factor solution had an adequate model fit (CMIN/df = 1.98; RMSEA = .065; SRMR = .039, CFI = .972, and GFI = .968). Convergent validity and discriminant validity were achieved. Cronbach's alpha values were .89, .90, .90, and .96 for activism, caring, professionalism, and the overall scale, respectively. Adequate levels of reliability and validity of the Arabic version of the Nurses Professional Values Scale–three were established, indicating the appropriateness of using this version to assess the professional values among Saudi and other Arabic‒speaking nurses.