Abstract The ability to assess individual patients’ physical and emotional needs was used as one foundation for evaluation of clinical competence. Each of the randomly sampled 50 nurse interns and their corresponding preceptors (9 preceptors) assessed the perceived needs of a patient they both knew well by separately answering a questionnaire concerning basic physical and emotional needs. Simultaneously the selected patients (n=50) were interviewed about their perceived needs by the researcher. Nurse interns and their preceptors assessments were compared with the individual patient’s opinion. Both nurse interns and their preceptors nurses’ assessments showed close similarities with the patients’ own estimations, although certain under- and over estimations for both physical and emotional needs were found. Nurse interns and their preceptors also showed uncertainty in some of their assessments concerning physical and emotional needs. Nurse interns and their preceptors nurses’ assessments were closer than nurse interns/patients or preceptors/patients. Attention should be paid both in nursing education and in clinical practice to the need for individualization of patient care.