Validating the Japanese Version of the Career Competencies Questionnaire for Nurses

Abstract Background: Career competencies, which are the knowledge, skills, and abilities essential for career development, have been shown to aid successful careers for fulfilling both work and life goals. In dynamically changing healthcare settings, nurses’ career competencies are key for navigating their own career successfully and improving their nursing practice abilities. However, limited studies have examined career competencies in the nursing profession. In particular, no research has been conducted on career competencies for Japanese nurses, which remains a major challenge as voluntary effort is the main factor that promotes career and professional development. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to validate the Japanese version of the Career Competencies Questionnaire (CCQ-J).Methods: The English version of the CCQ was translated into Japanese using back and forward translation. In the first survey, item analysis and exploratory factor analysis (EFA) were conducted with 276 nurses from a hospital located in a prefecture in Japan. In the second survey, a confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was conducted and concurrent validity and reliability were evaluated with 522 nurses from hospitals in the Tohoku region. Furthermore, we evaluated the concurrent validity and reliability of the CCQ-J.Results: The EFA showed that the CCQ-J consisted of a three-factor structure that explained 66.69% of the variance. As a result of the CFA, all the fitting indexes were acceptable [chi-square value (CMIN)=432.26, degree of freedom (df)=153, chi-square fit statistics/degree of freedom (CMIN/df)=2.83, goodness-of-fit index (GFI)=0.93, adjusted goodness of fit index (AGFI)=0.89, comparative fix index (CFI)=0.96, and root mean square error of approximation (RMSEA)=0.06]. Cronbach’s α for the CCQ-J 21-items and the subscales ranged from 0.85 to 0.95. Concurrent validity was demonstrated via the positive correlation between work engagement, life satisfaction, and CCQ-J.Conclusions: The psychometric properties of the CCQ-J were validated for Japanese nurses. We hope that the findings presented in this study will contribute to a better understanding of nurses’ career competencies and their successful career and professional development in the future.