Ibis article describes the development and initial psychometric testing of the Applied Liberal Education Competences Scale, an instrument designed to measure professional nurses' self-reported use of selected applied liberal education competences in professional practice. The ALECS was created using a conceptual model proposed by Stark and Lowther (1988a) and content validity was assessed using an expert panel. Construct validity and internal consistency reliability of the ALECS were examined and the instrument refined. This 67-item instrument consists of six subscales: leadership, contextual practice, professional development, analytic practice, reflective practice, and aesthetic practice. Since the instrument taps dimensions other than technical skills and specific role functions, it will enable educators and service personnel to better understand how nurses think and perform.