Motivation for continuing education in nursing

Introduction

The importance of Continuing Professional Education is emphasized internationally due to the widespread changes in different domains. The nursing profession plays an important role in healthcare due to the influence of nurses on patients’ and community health status. Thus, it is crucial to understand the motives for participation in Continuing Professional Education programs. This study seeks to recognize the motivational factors that affect nurses to choose Continuing Nursing Education.

Material and methods

Data was collected through a self-completed questionnaire, sent in electronic form to Hellenic Nurses Associations and Institutions. The Kolmogorov—Smirnov test was used for normality analysis of the quantitative variables. Unifactorial analyses were made by using the Mann–Whitney t-test, Kruskal–Wallis test, and Spearman’s correlation coefficients to analyze the relation between the outcome variables (PRS subscales questionnaires) and the quantitative, qualitative demographic characteristics respectively.

Results

The results of this study have shown that all factors explored within the 4 dimensions by Participation Reason Scale (PRS), have generated a positive response. Factors improving professional skills and patients’ services were the most common factors that affect nurses’ participation in Continuing Education. Certain demographic variables are associated with specific motivational factors, specifically with higher levels of motivation for both improving professional skills and patient services, as well as professional commitment among nurses.

Conclusion

It is crucial to investigate the incentives for Continuing education in Nursing and recognize their actual training needs. When individuals' continuing education and training needs are acknowledged, it will become possible to develop training plans, promotion, and strategies that are aligned with their specific needs and objectives.