Background: Nurses working in Home health care (HHC) are facing major challenges when more advanced care and treatment are performing in the patient’s home. The aim of this study was to explore how nurses experiencing their competencies in HHC. 

Methods: This study has a qualitative and explorative design. Ten nurses were interviewed and data were analysed by content analysis.

Results: The themes “Being a capable nurse”, “Being a useful nurse” and “Being a subordinate and dependent nurse” were identified. Nurses want to be capable to take care of patients, develop their competencies and perform their duties in the way that are requested. They also want to be useful in their work and providing good and safe HHC. Finally, nurses want to improve the care in HHC with their competencies. Simultaneously, they are subordinate and dependent in the relation with their manager and manager’s interest to encourage nurses’ competence development.

Conclusions: Nurses in HHC are responsible for many seriously ill patients and they want to contribute to a good and safe patient care. To maintain patient safety, reduce the risk for burnout and staff turnover as well as to contribute to a sustainable development of the work, strategies for transfer competencies between nurses and efforts for competence development are needed.