An investigation of emotional intelligence and individual innovativeness levels of nursing students

Abstract

Objective: A nurse and nursing student with innovative, critical thinking, and emotional intelligence skills can diagnose the needs of their patients and use their creativity to develop new products, and new practices to meet them, and evaluate the complex problems they face from different perspectives. The study was carried out to determine the relationship between nursing students’ emotional intelligence and individual innovativeness levels. Method: This research is descriptive and correlational research type. A total of 422 nursing students who were doing clinical practice in a training and research hospital. Data were collected from 28 November 2022 to 10 March 2023 using the Questionnaire Form, Revised Schutte Emotional Intelligence Scale, and Individual Innovativeness Scale. Data were analyzed using the Number Cruncher Statistical System 2007 program. Results: The mean age of the nursing students participating in the study was 20.77±1.73 years. The mean total score of the Revised Schutte Emotional Intelligence Scale of the nursing students was 132.81±14.00 and the mean total score of the Individual Innovativeness Scale was 65.01±9.40. There was a statistically significant negative correlation between the mean score of the "evaluation of emotions" subscale and the mean score of the "idea leadership" subscale of nursing students. Conclusion: It was determined that the emotional intelligence of nursing students was above the average score and their innovativeness was low. In addition, it was observed that as nursing students' evaluation of emotions increased, their opinion of leadership decreased. Nursing students must have high emotional intelligence and individual innovativeness. For this reason, it may be recommended to add courses to the curriculum in schools to increase the emotional intelligence and individual innovativeness characteristics of nursing students.