Factors affecting nursing students' patient safety competencies

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to identify nursing students' level of critical thinking disposition, communication skills, and self-leadership and to identify factors that affect the patient safety competency of nursing students.Methods: This study employs a descriptive research, method and was conducted from April 20 to May 19, 2022, with students from three nursing colleges in Korea. The collected data were analyzed by frequency and percentage, independent t-test, Pearson's correlation coefficients, and multiple regression. All analyzes were conducted using IBM SPSS 22.0.Results: The results of the multiple regression analysis showed that the regression model was significant (F=17.30, p<.001) and that communication skills (β=.22, p=.001), self-leadership (β=.31, p<.001), patient safety education experience (β=.15, p=.009), and subjects for credit (β=.15, p=.006) explained 28.0% of nursing students' patient safety competency.Conclusion: It is necessary to develop a self-leadership and communication skills improvement program and to organize rgular courses safety education subjects to improve the patient safety competency of nursing students.