Background/Objectives: The nursing profession is expected to undergo substantial transformations in the coming years due to rapidly evolving sociocultural, environmental, and technological changes. Defining and assessing nursing competencies are essential to ensuring high-quality care and fostering professional development. This systematic review aims to explore the future nursing competencies required and the sociocultural factors influencing their evolution. Methods: A comprehensive systematic search was conducted in several indexed databases PubMed, CINAHL, Scopus, and Web of Science databases using keywords such as “nursing competencies”, “future”, “healthcare systems”, and “demographic change”. Studies published within the last five years were included, and a rigorous quality assessment was performed. Results: The findings suggest that key sociocultural and technological factors—including environmental sustainability, technological advancements, innovation, globalization, urbanization, policy uncertainty, and demographic shifts—will significantly shape the development of nursing competencies. It is projected that nearly 70% of the nursing workforce will operate in highly unpredictable environments. The review highlights the need to develop interpersonal, higher-order cognitive, and system-level competencies, alongside complementary skills in personal and customer services, decision making, technology utilization, creativity, and scientific methodologies. Conclusions: Addressing the future challenges in nursing requires a holistic and strategic approach, including a cultural shift within the profession supported by targeted policies and sustained investment in education and continuous professional development. Training systems should prioritize the development of core competencies and promote lifelong learning to ensure adaptability in an evolving healthcare landscape.

Background/Objectives: This article explores the theoretical and practical implications of the meaning of thinking, living, and acting within the framework of nursing in Complex Adaptive Systems. The Nursing Theory of Complex Adaptive Systems is grounded in the principles of Complex Adaptive Systems (CASs). It seeks to offer a new paradigm for nursing practice that addresses healthcare’s dynamic and evolving nature. Methods: The Nursing Theory of Complex Adaptive Systems represents a new nursing paradigm capable of addressing the challenges of a constantly evolving healthcare environment. This theory promotes personalized care plans adaptable to patients’ changing needs by emphasizing a holistic and interactive approach to care. Results: It also underscores the importance of interprofessional collaboration and effective communication in improving the quality of care. The Nursing Theory of Complex Adaptive Systems has significant implications for nursing practice, education, and research. Conclusions: It provides a robust framework for developing adaptive and resilient nursing practices that can respond to the complexities of modern healthcare. By integrating the principles of CASs into nursing, the Nursing Theory of Complex Adaptive Systems fosters a more flexible, interdependent, and holistic approach to patient care, ultimately enhancing patient outcomes and improving healthcare systems. This theory has practical applications in various healthcare settings, offering a framework for personalized and adaptable care plans that respond to the dynamic needs of patients while improving overall system efficiency. Future research should focus on the empirical validation of the Nursing Theory of Complex Adaptive Systems and its practical implementation in various healthcare settings.

Background/Objectives: Inequalities in access to nursing professionals represent a significant challenge to achieving equity in healthcare systems. In decentralized countries like Italy, disparities in the distribution of nurses persist despite a universal national health system. This study investigates the extent and determinants of regional inequality in the distribution of the nursing workforce in Italy. Methods: A retrospective ecological analysis was conducted using administrative data from official national sources (ISTAT, Ministry of Health) concerning the number of nurses and population per region, along with Human Development Index (HDI) data from 2021. Descriptive statistics, the Gini coefficient, Lorenz curve, and Pearson correlation were used to assess inequality and identify influencing factors. Results: The national Gini coefficient was 0.136, indicating a moderate degree of inequality in the distribution of nurses across Italian regions. A strong positive correlation was observed between HDI and nurse-to-population ratio (r = 0.76, p < 0.001), suggesting that more developed regions have higher nursing density. Conclusions: Despite a universal healthcare system, Italy shows persistent regional disparities in nurse distribution. These findings emphasize the need for targeted policies and coordinated planning to reduce inequalities and ensure equitable access to nursing care across all regions.

Background/Objectives: Interprofessional education (IPE) supports collaborative practice, but educational exposure, self-rated knowledge, and collaboration are distinct constructs. We examined the adjusted associations between self-reported prior IPE experience and single-item self-rated IPE knowledge and perceived collaboration among health professions faculty and educators in Albanian and Italian work contexts. Methods: This quantitative-dominant cross-sectional mixed-methods study included 445 faculty members and educators. Collaboration was assessed using language-matched versions of the 23-item Assessment of Interprofessional Team Collaboration Scale II (AITCS-II). Self-rated IPE knowledge was assessed using a single author-developed 0–100 item. Heteroskedasticity-consistent type 3 standard errors in linear regressions examined adjusted associations and exploratory context interactions. Confirmatory factor analysis and reliability analyses examined preliminary evidence of internal structural validity and internal consistency in this sample. Directed qualitative content analysis with inductive expansion examined 341 responses from 114 participants and was integrated into the aggregate results. Results: A total of 47.2% of participants reported prior IPE experience; the mean single-item self-rated IPE knowledge score was 31.7/100, and the mean overall AITCS-II score was 3.95/5. Cooperation was rated highest and Partnership lowest. In the adjusted model (n = 417), self-reported prior IPE experience was associated with a 0.32-point higher overall AITCS-II score (95% CI 0.18–0.47), while each 10-point increase in the single-item knowledge rating was associated with a 0.03-point higher score (95% CI 0.002–0.058). No country-of-work interaction was statistically supported. The response covariance structure was compatible with the hypothesised three-factor model. Qualitative findings emphasised experiential and longitudinal learning and identified professional silos, hierarchies, curricular rigidity, limited resources, and weak organisational coordination as barriers. Conclusions: Self-reported prior IPE experience showed a clearer and more consistent association with perceived collaboration than did the single-item measure of self-rated IPE knowledge, whose association was small and less consistent across domains. Applied, repeated, and contextually embedded IPE, supported by faculty development and organisational structures, may facilitate collaborative practice. Causal and cross-country conclusions are not warranted.

Background/Objectives: The role of nurses is poised to undergo significant transformations in the forthcoming years due to rapidly evolving sociocultural, environmental, and technological phenomena. Defining and assessing nursing competencies are crucial for ensuring quality nursing care and fostering professional growth. This literature review aimed to explore future nursing competencies and the sociocultural phenomena shaping them. Methods: A systematic search was conducted in PubMed, CINAHL, Scopus and Web of Science databases using keywords such as “nursing competencies,” “future,” “healthcare systems,” and “demographic change.” Studies published within the last 5 years were included and underwent rigorous quality assessment. Results: The findings indicate that phenomena such as environmental sustainability, technology, innovation, globalization, urbanization, uncertain policies, and demographic evolution will significantly impact nursing competency development. Projections suggest that nearly 70% of the nursing workforce will operate in areas marked by high uncertainty and unpredictability. The review underscores the importance of cultivating interpersonal, higher-order cognitive, and system-level competencies, along with complementary competences in personal and customer services, decision-making, technology, creativity, and scientific methods. Conclusions: Addressing future challenges in nursing requires a holistic and strategic approach. This entails a cultural shift within the profession, supported by targeted policies and investments in training and continuous professional development. Education and training systems must prioritize the development of “structural” competencies and lifelong learning capacities.

Background/Objectives: Nursing leadership is a multidimensional construct that includes relational, strategic, collaborative, and organisational capabilities. However, nursing-specific measures that integrate these domains remain limited. This study evaluated the preliminary psychometric properties of the Effective Nursing Leadership Scale (ENLS), examined its association with job satisfaction, and explored its seven dimensions as nursing leadership-related competency domains. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional survey was conducted among 885 registered nurses in Albania. Reliability, factor-retention procedures, confirmatory model comparisons, discriminant validity, common-method sensitivity analyses, Pearson correlations, and multiple linear regression were examined. Results: Of 918 questionnaires administered, 885 complete questionnaires were analysed (response rate 96.4%). The 19-item ENLS showed very high internal consistency (Cronbach’s α = .967; McDonald’s ω = .969). Parallel analysis retained two factors rather than seven, so the seven-domain structure was treated as theory-driven and evaluated by CFA. Among the tested models, the seven-correlated-factor model showed the best fit (CFI = .960, TLI = .948, RMSEA = .075, SRMR = .076), outperforming the single-factor and second-order models. HTMT values ranged from .713 to .962, indicating incomplete discriminant validity among several domains. The ENLS total score correlated modestly with job satisfaction (r = .220, p < .001). In simultaneous regression, Communication Competencies was the only clear independent positive predictor (β = .421, p < .001); the model explained 12.2% of job-satisfaction variance (R² = .122). Conclusions: The ENLS demonstrates strong reliability and a plausible multidimensional structure, but the present data do not provide definitive support for seven empirically distinct dimensions. Independent replication, refinement of closely overlapping domains, cross-cultural validation, and multi-source designs are required before high-stakes or benchmarking use.