Abstract: Objective: To investigate the core competency of nurses in the community health service centers. Methods: A total of 369 registered nurses from 8 community health service centers in Shanghai were investigated with a questionnaire named "Chinese registered nurse core ability scale (CIRN)". Results: The average score of core capacity of community nurses was at a lower level (98.61±16.12). The three dimensions which got lowest score were critical thinking & research ability, professional development ability, and education & counseling ability, respectively. Multivariate linear regression analysis showed that age, job title, position, and education status were influencing factors of the nurses’ core competence. Conclusion: Interventions to improve the core competency of community nurses’ is thus much needed.