QSEN competencies are six core areas of knowledge, skills, and attitudes that nurses need to continuously improve the quality and safety of patient care. Developed by the Quality and Safety Education for Nurses (QSEN) project, they are: patient-centered care, teamwork and collaboration, evidence-based practice, quality improvement, safety, and informatics.
What Does QSEN Stand For?
QSEN stands for Quality and Safety Education for Nurses. It is a national initiative, launched in 2005 with funding from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, created to prepare nurses with the competencies needed to continuously improve the quality and safety of the healthcare systems in which they work. QSEN defines each competency in terms of the knowledge, skills, and attitudes (KSAs) nurses should develop.
Why QSEN Competencies Matter
QSEN competencies matter because they translate the broad goals of “quality” and “safety” into concrete, teachable, and assessable skills. They give nursing schools a shared framework for curricula, give employers a common language for onboarding and competency validation, and ultimately help reduce preventable harm and improve patient outcomes. For practicing nurses, they provide a clear map of the behaviors that define safe, high-quality care.
The 6 QSEN Competencies Explained
The six competencies build on one another to support safe, effective care. Patient-Centered Care means recognizing the patient as the source of control and full partner in care. Teamwork and Collaboration means functioning effectively within nursing and interprofessional teams. Evidence-Based Practice means integrating best current evidence with clinical expertise and patient preferences. Quality Improvement means using data to monitor outcomes and improve care processes. Safety means minimizing risk of harm to patients and providers through both system effectiveness and individual performance. Informatics means using information and technology to communicate, manage knowledge, and support decision-making.
QSEN Competencies at a Glance
Here is a quick reference to the six competencies and their focus. Patient-Centered Care, the patient as partner and source of control. Teamwork and Collaboration, effective functioning in interprofessional teams. Evidence-Based Practice, integrating evidence, expertise, and patient values. Quality Improvement, using data to improve care processes and outcomes. Safety, reducing risk of harm through systems and individual performance. Informatics, using technology and data to support safe decision-making.
How QSEN Competencies Are Used in Practice
Nursing programs embed QSEN competencies into coursework, simulations, and clinical evaluations, while healthcare organizations use them to structure orientation, annual competency assessments, and professional development. Because each competency is defined through knowledge, skills, and attitudes, they can be observed, taught, and validated, making them a natural backbone for a nurse competency program.
How Organizations Track QSEN Competencies
Assessing six competencies across an entire nursing workforce is difficult on paper. Many organizations use a competency-management platform to map QSEN-aligned skills to roles, assign and document validations, track evidence of knowledge, skills, and attitudes over time, and generate reports for accreditation and quality reviews. This makes it possible to demonstrate, not just assert, that staff meet quality and safety standards.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the 6 QSEN competencies? They are patient-centered care, teamwork and collaboration, evidence-based practice, quality improvement, safety, and informatics.
When was QSEN created? The QSEN project was launched in 2005 with funding from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation to build quality and safety competencies into nursing education.
What are KSAs in QSEN? KSAs stand for knowledge, skills, and attitudes. QSEN defines each of the six competencies through specific KSAs that nurses should develop and demonstrate.
Are QSEN competencies only for nursing students? No. While QSEN began in nursing education, the competencies are widely used in practice settings for onboarding, ongoing competency validation, and quality improvement among practicing nurses.