Professional Development of Neurosurgical Nurses. Preliminary Reports

Introduction. Constant updating and expanding the scope of professional knowledge is the responsibility of every nurse/midwife and the basic condition for proper practice. The professional development of nurses in the field of neurology and neurosurgery includes professional activity as part of self-education or organized forms and types of postgraduate education through undergoing specialist training, acquiring professional skills in the narrower fields of nursing or providing specific health services and improvement in other forms of education. The conducted research indicates that the career path for neuro-nurses is unregulated and varies in different countries. Aim. The aim of the study was to analyse the professional development of neurosurgical nurses. Material and Methods. The study was conducted on a group of 93 nurses employed in 6 neurosurgical centres in the Kuyavian-Pomeranian voivodeship. Professional improvement was assessed using a diagnostic survey with a survey questionnaire. The issues related to pre- and post-graduate education and professional experience were analysed. Results. The most popular form of postgraduate education is the development course and congress/conference/ symposium. Most people said that their training was financed by the employer or own/private funds. No specific training for neurosurgical nurses was demonstrated. Among the difficulties/problems related to professional development, the lack of time for training and the lack of interesting training topics were indicated most often. Most respondents have no opinion on whether professional training should be based on the award of educational/ credit points. Conclusions. The conducted research indicates a large diversity in the area of pre- and post-graduate education. There was also a lack of a consistent career path for neuro-nurses. (JNNN 2019;8(3):119–123) Key Words: neuro-nursing, pre- and post-graduate education, professional experience