Response from the southwest Florida nursing community supporting the future of nursing

The aim of this study was to examine community hospital nurses' interest and potential barriers in pursuing advanced education. In October 2010, nursing leaders in Florida formed a task force to implement the Institute of Medicine Future of Nursing recommendations pertaining to the education of nurses. A survey-based descriptive analysis of nurses employed at 3 community hospitals in Florida was performed. A total of 746 nurses answered open-ended questions related to current status in regard to advancing education. The greatest barriers were (1) time constraints, specifically family and work schedule conflicts, and (2) financial concerns. Eleven percent (n = 73) noted the lack of pay incentive and 11% (n = 71) noted that they were nearing retirement. The findings bring an evidence-based approach to summarizing the trials, concerns, and barriers to nurses continuing their education. The Web-based survey proved to be a useful tool to quickly and inexpensively gather feedback from nurses concerning their plans and perceived barriers related to continuing their education.