Self-perceived spiritual care competencies among nursing and midwifery students in SloveniaMlinar Reljić, Nataša (Avtor) McSherry, Wilfred (Avtor) Skubic, Metka (Avtor) Mihelič Zajec, Andreja (Avtor) Babnik, Katarina (Avtor) Karnjuš, Igor (Avtor) patient-centred carespiritual careSloveniaAim: Spiritual care is vital to patient-centred care, yet gaps persist in nursing and midwifery education. This study presents theself-assessed spiritual care competencies of Slovenian nursing and midwifery students. Design: A cross-sectional design was used. Methods: A non-experimental, cross-sectional design was applied to a purposive sample of 319 undergraduate and graduate nursing and midwifery students. Data were collected based on the Spiritual Care Competency Self-Assessment Tool. Results: The results showed that 51.7% (n = 165) of students demonstrated a moderate level of spiritual care competence, 40.4%(n = 129) achieved a good level and only 5.3% (n = 17) attained a high level. Nursing students scored significantly higher than midwifery students (p < 0.05), particularly in intrapersonal and interpersonal spirituality. Female students reported higher competence in spiritual care planning and interpersonal spirituality compared with males (p < 0.05). No significant differences were found regarding study format, year of study, or religious affiliation. Conclusions: The findings highlight the need for targeted educational interventions to improve spiritual care training, ensuring that all healthcare students develop the necessary competencies to provide holistic, patient-centered care. Patient or Public Contribution: Nursing and midwifery students participated in this study.20262026-01-05 11:56:52Članek v reviji177723sl