Last update:
04-Apr-2017

OBJECTIVES To investigate the motivating factors for participation of nurses in continuing nursing education (CNE) and their perceptions about the necessity for programs in CNE.

METHOD The Participation Reasons Scale (PRS) was completed by 475 nurses working in three hospitals in Athens and the Peloponnese region and the socio-demographic data of participants were recorded. Statistical analysis was performed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (IBM SPSS Statistics), version 23.0.

RESULTS The majority (62.3%) of the sample showed positive perceptions and attitudes about CNE Programs, based on real needs. Subjects rated all five factors (dimensions) of the PRS as "moderately important" in high percentages, specifically: "Professional improvement and development" 98.9%, "professional service" 91.8%, "collegial learning and interaction" 82.6%, "personal benefits and job security" 91.0%, "professional commitment" 88.4%. "Professional commitment" recorded the highest mean score (4.95±0.744). "Professional improvement and development" correlated positively with "collegial learning and interaction" (r=0.229; p<0.001) and "personal benefits and job security" (r=0.115; p=0.015).

CONCLUSIONS Motives and personal professional attitudes exert a significant effect on the participation of nurses in CNE programs.

Key words: Continuing nursing education, Lifelong learning, Motivation, Nursing, Professional development.