The older adult population is rapidly increasing in South Korea, and hospitalization at general hospitals is increasing too. Therefore, nurses working at general hospitals need the nursing competency for older adult patients. The study was conducted to examine the effects of nurses' perception of the older adults and work stress on the nursing competency of nurses at a general hospital, South Korea. A cross-sectional, descriptive correlational design was employed. Participants were a total of 136 nurses working at a general hospital located in Seoul, South Korea. Measures used in the study were the study participants' general characteristics survey, Korean version of the Attitude Toward Old People Scale (KAOPS), the work stress scale, and the nursing competency scale. Data were collected from February to March, 2021. The regression model was statistically significant, and the explanatory power of the regression model was 33%. The significant factors affecting nursing competency were education level, perception of the older adults, and work stress. The greatest affecting factor was education level, followed by perception of the older adults and work stress in order. Nurses caring for older adult patients at general hospitals should pay attention to affecting factors to help improve the nursing competency in clinical practice. Managers should improve relevant policies to ensure that nurses have more opportunities to participate in the practical training of older adult care and explore effective training methods to improve the nurses' perception of older adults.
Keywords: aged; nurse; nursing competency; perception; work stress.