What Are the Competencies That Are Necessary to Promote Interprofessional Collaboration?

This study had two main purposes. Firstly, to identify the differences between the “competencies needed to further promote interprofessional collaboration (IPC)” and “competencies that are perceived by practitioners to be competent” as perceived by nurses working in an acute care hospital. Secondly, to analyze the differences in competencies of Japanese nurses clinical ladder practice level. Valid responses were obtained from 193 nursing employees. Teamwork competency was identified as the highest to further promote interprofessional collaboration. The respondents recognized themselves as competent in their teamwork. However, other highly rated competencies for IPC—“Team Leadership,” “Developing Others,” and “Directiveness,” were rated as limited in competencies to practice themselves. Differences were also observed at different clinical ladder levels, in particular, “Relation Building” was considered to develop as a job adaptation through nurses’ continuous nursing practice. In conclusion, “Team Leadership” is a competency needed to further promote interprofessional collaboration in the future and to fulfill leadership roles.