Professional Competencies and Job Satisfaction Among Physiotherapists: Validation and Psychometric Analysis of the Multidimensional Scale

Background/Objectives: Professional competencies and personal mastery are key di-mensions for the well-being of health professionals and the quality of care. In physio-therapy, where organizational complexity is common, job satisfaction depends on both clinical skills and resilience. While these aspects have been explored in nursing, evi-dence for physiotherapists is limited. This study aimed to (1) assess perceived compe-tencies and personal mastery in Italian physiotherapists; (2) analyze their relationship with job satisfaction; and (3) examine the factorial structure of the Multidimensional Scale of Competences. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted with 481 physiotherapists working in various care settings. Data were collected using the 25-item Multidimensional Scale of Competences, the 7-item Personal Mastery Scale, and a single job satisfaction item, all on a 5-point Likert scale. Analyses included de-scriptive statistics, Pearson correlations, logistic regression, and exploratory factor analysis (PCA with five components). Results: Participants had a mean age of 31.1 years (SD = 8.3) and 7.3 years of professional experience (SD = 7.7); gender distribution was balanced. Most held a Master’s (44.5%) or Bachelor’s degree (36.8%). Job satisfac-tion was high, with 95% reporting moderate to very high satisfaction. Competencies showed a mean of 4.16 (SD = 0.95; α = 0.86), while Personal Mastery averaged 3.52 (SD = 1.29; α = 0.60). Competencies significantly predicted job satisfaction (OR = 8.37, p = 0.003), whereas Personal Mastery did not. Factor analysis identified five do-mains—technical-clinical, communicative, collaborative, ethical, and education-al—explaining 50.3% of variance. Conclusions: Italian physiotherapists report high competencies and moderate personal mastery. Job satisfaction is strongly linked to competencies, highlighting their central role in professional well-being. Results sup-port the importance of continuous professional development and organizational strategies that enhance competencies and resilience.