Abstract
<title>Abstract</title> <p> Background To assess nursing work environments and core competencies in healthcare, and to evaluate the mediating role of organisational commitment. Methods From January to March 2024, a convenience sampling approach was used to recruit 1,600 nurses from 20 general hospitals in Sichuan Province and Chongqing City, China. Participants completed a demographic questionnaire, the Nursing Work Environment Scale, the Organisational Commitment Scale, and the Chinese Nurse Core Competency Inventory. Univariate and correlation analyses were conducted to identify influencing factors, and mediation analyses were performed using AMOS 26.0. Results The mean work environment score was 101.36 ± 14.91 out of 124 (indicating a high work environment score and representing 81.74% of the maximum possible score), while the mean organisational commitment score was 75.07 ± 16.38 out of 125 (indicating moderately low levels of organisational commitment, representing 60.06% of the maximum possible score), and the core competencies score was 188.40 ± 31.12 out of 220 (indicating high core competencies and representing 85.64% of the maximum possible score). Significant differences were observed across demographic and professional characteristics ( <italic>P</italic> < 0.05). Core competencies were positively correlated with both the work environment and organisational commitment, and a positive association was identified between the work environment and organisational commitment ( <italic>P</italic> < 0.001). Mediation analysis showed that organisational commitment partially mediated the relationship between the work environment and core competencies, accounting for 57.82% of the total effect. Conclusion Although clinical nurses demonstrated strong core competencies, the work environment and organisational commitment require urgent improvement. Organisational commitment acts as a partial mediator between the work environment and core competencies. Strengthening organisational commitment may further enhance nurses’ core competencies. </p>