Self-Perceived Moral Competence Among Healthcare Students in Slovakia: A Cross- Sectional Study

Background The ability to provide ethical and effective care depends on healthcare professionals demonstrating moral competence. This includes moral intelligence, resilience, and ethical proficiency—essential attributes for navigating the complex moral challenges present in healthcare. The development and assessment of these competencies is imperative for optimizing healthcare outcomes and mitigating ethical conflicts. Aim This study aimed to examine the relationship between moral competence levels and selected variables—namely gender, field of study, and year of study—among healthcare science students in Slovakia. Methods A cross-sectional, descriptive, and comparative design was used to investigate moral competence among healthcare students in Slovakia. The study adhered to the STROBE checklist, and data were collected using the Moral Competence Test (MCT). Descriptive statistics, including means (M) and standard deviations (SD), were calculated. Inductive statistics were conducted using the Mann-Whitney U test and the Kruskal-Wallis test to examine relationships between variables. To assess the distribution of the C-score and guide statistical analysis, both the Shapiro-Wilk and Kolmogorov-Smirnov tests for normality were applied. A significance level of p < .05 was used for all analyses. IBM SPSS Statistics version 25.0 (IBM Corp., Armonk, NY, USA) was employed for data processing. Results Moral competence among healthcare students was found to be at a moderate level (16.72 ± 12.54). The analysis revealed no statistically significant differences in moral competence based on gender or study program. Of particular interest, a gradual decline in average C-scores was observed with increasing years of study: first-year students scored 17.71 ± 14.76, second-year students 16.67 ± 11.94, and third-year students 16.42 ± 13.27. A statistically significant difference (p = 0.020*) was identified between Slovak students and those studying abroad, with the latter group exhibiting higher, albeit still moderate, C-scores. Conclusions These findings suggest the need for further investigation into why moral competence scores are higher among international students and why they tend to decrease students as they progress through their studies. We recommend revisiting academic curricula for two key reasons: first, to explore why first-year students demonstrate higher moral competence than those in their final year; and second, to promote the overall development of moral competence in future healthcare professionals.