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Nurses' and managers' perceptions of continuing professional development for older and younger nurses: a focus group
Inge Pool1, Rob Poell, Olle ten Cate
1Vocational Education and Training Centre, University Medical Centre Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands. i.a.pool@umcutrecht.nl
International Journal of Nursing Studies
|September 5, 2012
Summary
Continuing professional development (CPD) for nurses differs by age, with younger and older nurses having distinct needs and perceptions. Strategies must account for these age-related differences to ensure effective lifelong learning for all nurses.
Area of Science:
- Nursing Education
- Healthcare Workforce Development
- Gerontology in Healthcare
Background:
- Continuing professional development (CPD) is crucial for nurses due to rapid changes in healthcare.
- The nursing workforce is aging, necessitating age-tailored CPD strategies.
- Existing research on age-related differences in nurse CPD participation is limited.
Purpose of the Study:
- To explore nurses' and managers' perceptions of how CPD differs between younger and older nurses.
- To identify age-specific factors influencing engagement in professional development activities.
Main Methods:
- Qualitative study employing focus groups.
- Thematic analysis of interview data.
- Participants included 22 nurses across three age groups (20-65 years) and 10 nurse managers.
Main Results:
- Six themes emerged, highlighting differences in CPD focus, opportunities, ambition, resource utilization, course limitations for older nurses, and social factors.
- Participants viewed CPD through the dimensions of purpose, formality of learning, and scope of development.
- Perceived differences in CPD were linked to age-related needs and life-span changes.
Conclusions:
- Nurses and managers perceive distinct CPD needs and experiences across different age groups.
- CPD strategies must be individualized to meet the evolving requirements of younger and older nurses.
- The scope of professional development (e.g., "keeping up to date" vs. "skill expansion") is more influenced by individual work attitudes than by age itself.
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