Relationship between Personal Values, Work Experience and Nursing Competencies among Cancer Care Nurses in Malaysia

Oncology nurses are an essential component of cancer care teams. Nurses play a vital role in ensuring that cancer patients comply with their cancer treatment. In the cancer care nursing context, competency is not merely being skilled, but also implies the characteristic of being able to perform effectively. In addition to the need for competence, nursing is a discipline rich in values including human dignity, caring, humanity, and respect for personal privacy. Research from a variety of disciplines indicates that values often influence human behaviour in professional and work settings. It is often believed, therefore, that nurse’ values and work experience influence and contribute to their work performance. Few studies have attempted to examine these relationships, particularly in the context of cancer care nursing. The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between personal values, work experience and competency among cancer care nurses in Malaysia. Quantitative surveys were used to collect the data. A total of 845 cancer care nurses from 38 public hospitals in Peninsular Malaysia participated in the study. Descriptive statistics and Pearson Product-Moment Correlations were used to analyse the data. The findings revealed positive and significant relationships between personal values and competency (r = 0.59, p < 0.01) and work experience and competency (r = 0.11, p < 0.047). The findings support the assertion that Malaysian nurses’ values and work experience are related to performance-related competency.