Emotional intelligence in nursing is of global interest. International studies identify that emotional intelligence influences nurses' work and relationships with patients. It is associated with compassion and care. Nursing students scored higher on measures of emotional intelligence compared to students of other study programmes. The level of emotional intelligence increases with age and tends to be higher in women. This study aims to measure the differences in emotional intelligence between nursing students with previous caring experience and those without; to examine the effects of gender on emotional intelligence scores; and to test whether nursing students score higher than engineering colleagues on emotional intelligence measures. A cross-sectional descriptive study design was used. The study included 113 nursing and 104 engineering students at the beginning of their first year of study at a university in Slovenia. Emotional intelligence was measured using the Trait Emotional Intelligence Questionnaire (TEIQue) and Schutte Self Report Emotional Intelligence Test (SSEIT). Shapiro-Wilk's test of normality was used to test the sample distribution, while the differences in mean values were tested using Student t-test of independent samples. Emotional intelligence was higher in nursing students (n = 113) than engineering students (n = 104) in both measures [TEIQue t = 3.972; p < 0.001; SSEIT t = 8.288; p < 0.001]. Although nursing female students achieved higher emotional intelligence scores than male students on both measures, the difference was not statistically significant [TEIQue t = -0.839; p = 0.403; SSEIT t = -1.159; p = 0.249]. EI scores in nursing students with previous caring experience were not higher compared to students without such experience for any measure [TEIQue t = -1.633; p = 0.105; SSEIT t = -0.595; p = 0.553]. Emotional intelligence was higher in nursing than engineering students, and slightly higher in women than men. It was not associated with previous caring experience.

Emotional intelligence is an important factor for nursing students’ success and work performance. Although the level of emotional intelligence increases with age and tends to be higher in women, results of different studies on emotional intelligence in nursing students vary regarding age, study year, and gender. A longitudinal study was conducted in 2016 and 2019 among undergraduate nursing students to explore whether emotional intelligence changes over time. A total of 111 undergraduate nursing students participated in the study in the first year of their study, and 101 in the third year. Data were collected using the Trait Emotional Intelligence Questionnaire Short Form (TEIQue-SF) and Schutte Self Report Emotional Intelligence Test (SSEIT). There was a significant difference in emotional intelligence between students in their first (M = 154.40; 95% CI: 101.85–193.05) and third year (M = 162.01; 95% CI: 118.65–196.00) of study using TEIQue-SF questionnaire. There was a weak correlation (r = 0.170) between emotional intelligence and age measuring using the TEIQue-SF questionnaire, and no significant correlation when measured using SSEIT (r = 0.34). We found that nursing students’ emotional intelligence changes over time with years of education and age, suggesting that emotional intelligence skills can be improved. Further research is needed to determine the gendered nature of emotional intelligence in nursing students.

Background: Constant reviews of the caring behavior of nurses and patient satisfaction help to improve the quality of nursing. The aim of our research was to explore relationships between the level of nursing education, the perception of nurses and nursing assistants of Watson’s carative factors, and patient satisfaction.Methods: A questionnaire survey using a convenience sample of 1,098 members of nursing teams and a purposive sample of 1,123 patients in four health care institutions in Slovenia was conducted in August 2012. A demographic questionnaire and the Caring Nurse-Patient Interactions Scale (nurse version) were delivered to the nurses. A Hospital Consumer Assessment of Health Plans Survey was delivered to discharged patients. Data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics.Results: Carative factor sensibility was related to the level of nursing education. Patients were satisfied with the care received from nurses, nursing assistants and hospitals, although we found differences between the perceptions of nurses and nursing assistants of carative factors and patient satisfaction. By comparing only the perceptions of nurses and nursing assistants of carative factors in health care institutions, differences were found for seven out of ten carative factors.Discussion: We did not find major significant differences between carative factors and level of nurse education, except in one carative factor. Differences in perceptions of carative factors between health care institutions are probably the result of different institutional factors. The results can be of great benefit to nurse administrators and educators, indicating the factors that must be taken into account for enhancing patient satisfaction. Emphasis on caring theories should be placed in nursing education and their application in nursing practice.

The aim of the authors of this paper is to analyze Watson’s theory of human caring for its usefulness and worth in education, practice, and research. The reason for undertaking this analysis is to evaluate if Watson’s theory would be useful for nursing in those countries where such theories were not an established part of the nursing curriculum. Furthermore, in some European countries, their political past or cultural influences led to an unquestioned adoption of the biomedical model. As their political culture changes, many social structures have had to be revisited, and for nursing, this has meant the introduction of theoretical reasoning, teaching, and practice.

Uvod: V slovenskem prostoru primanjkuje veljavnih in zanesljivih instrumentov merjenja napak pri dajanju zdravil, zato je namen te raziskave ugotoviti vsebinsko veljavnost in zanesljivost slovenske različice vprašalnika ≫Napake pri dajanju zdravil≪. Metode: Uporabili smo prevod in vzvratni prevod. Vsebinsko veljavnost smo ugotavljali na osnovi strinjanja osmih strokovnjakov. Izračunali smo indekse vsebinske veljavnosti in modificiran Cohenov kapa indeks. S presečno opazovalno raziskavo smo z vzorcem 91 zaposlenih na kirurških ali internih oddelkih, ugotavljali notranjo zanesljivost vprašalnika. Izračunali smo koeficient Cronbach α in preverili popravljene korelacije posamezne postavke z njeno lestvico. Rezultati: Indeksi vsebinske veljavnosti posamezne postavke so za 64 trditev znašali od 0,875 do 1,000, kapa indeksi pa več kot 0,740. Dve trditvi sta bilo ocenjeni z indeksom vsebinske veljavnosti 0,750 in zmernim kapa indeksom 0,560. Indeksi vsebinske veljavnosti treh glavnih delov vprašalnika so znašali od 0,940 do 0,959. Cronbach α teh treh sklopov je znašal od 0,832 do 0,989. Popravljene korelacije posamezne postavke z njeno lestvico pri vzrokih za napake in vzrokih za ne sporočanje so z izjemo ene trditve dosegle zahtevan kriterij. Diskusija in zaključek: Potrjujemo sprejemljivo vsebinsko veljavnost in notranjo zanesljivost vprašalnika, vendar je rezultate raziskave potrebno interpretirati s pazljivostjo. Potrebno je nadaljnje psihometrično testiranje vprašalnika.