Background: Competence plays a great role in improving the quality of health care; it has remained a complex concept in developing societies and has no precise dimensions that may be due to the lack of studies in this area. It is necessary to study competence and its dimensions in the healthcare system.

Aim: The purpose of this study was to explain competence, based on the experiences of health care workers.

Methods: This qualitative research was conducted using conventional content analysis. 26 healthcare workers from health centers located in southeastern Iran participated in the study by purposive sampling. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews and analyzed using the Lundman and Graneheim thematic content analysis.

Results: During data analysis, the main theme known as “competence as an inevitable necessity for health care workers” with four categories of “career motivation and interest”, “up-to-date knowledge and skill”, “critical thinking”, and “self-actualization”.

Conclusion: The results suggest that competence in the provision of health services should be considered as a golden standard for the growth and excellence of the health care workers. Therefore, managers, planners, and professors should always consider this concept as a challenge in providing health services, and train competent healthcare workers.

Keywords: Competence; Health care workers; Qualitative study