M.Cur. / Quality nursing care is a constitutional right of both patients and clients. This right can only be upheld if nurses are competent. It is unfortunate that this right is often violated by those members of the nursing profession who are expected to uphold it. There is evidence from literature and media reports, which reveal that the competence of nurses is often lacking and therefore leaves much to be desired. ' Reports from the media, literature and other sources prompted the researcher to conduct the study. The purpose of the study was to evaluate the competence of newly qualified nurses from a specific nursing college. To realise the purpose of the study, the researcher conducted a quantitative, non-experimental contextual research. The process of conceptualisation was done in order to clarify the concept of competence within the context of clinical nursing education. It was also important to ~ spell out the concept of competence within the contexts of higher education and training, the SAQA, the SANG, and the nursing college. Research design of the study was done in two phases, namely: the developmental and the evaluation phase. During the developmental phase, the researcher developed an instrument based on Muller's (1999) theoretical framework. Measures were taken to ensure the validity and reliability of the instrument. A manual for the instrument was also developed. A pilot study was also conducted during the developmental phase. The purpose of the evaluation phase was to evaluate the applied competence of newly qualified registered nurses. The target population of the evaluation phase included all thirty-six newly qualified nurses from a specific nursing college.