Cardiac nurses' views of continuing professional education

There is little information available on cardiovascular nurses' attitudes to continuing professional education. Anecdotally many nurses profess that they require additional study days to keep updated in practice; however these are not always available at local level. This survey aimed to capture the views of cardiovascular nurses with regard to their continuing education needs.

This research aimed to identify cardiovascular nurses' views on continuing professional education.

A 26-item questionnaire collected data from 195 cardiovascular nurses in the Republic of Ireland. Response rate was 52% (n=102).

Most nurses had attended an educational event in the last 3-6 months and national conferences and local initiatives provided most of these latter services. Most respondents received both funding and study leave to attend. Nurses preferred method of keeping up-to-date was by means of conference and study days, journal use was also frequent. A high level of access to electronic resources was reported. Midweek was the preferred time for continuing education to occur.

The findings reveal a positive attitude to continuing professional education. They also support the endeavours of national professional organisations, such as INCA and highlight the important role that these organisations play in the provision of ongoing education to cardiovascular nurses.