Continuing professional development: evaluating a masterclass for band 5 children's nurses

Continuing professional development (CPD) is an important factor in being able to recruit and retain staff. However, it is recognised that budget constraints make offering CPD difficult, and it often falls to local NHS organisations and higher education providers to develop CPD initiatives that are fit for purpose.

To evaluate the impact of a CPD masterclass on band 5 children's nurses.

Fourteen band 5 children's nurses attended a CPD masterclass delivered as a series of workshops over one day. Participants completed questionnaires before, at the end of, and three months after the masterclass. The pre-masterclass and three-month follow-up questionnaires included the short version of the Occupational Self-Efficacy Scale.

After the masterclass, all participants had a plan (or a partial plan) for their career development, compared with 79% before it. Participants felt more confident at handling challenging situations at work after the masterclass. Participants appreciated the opportunity to focus on their CPD needs and discuss them with colleagues.

Time for CPD, career development opportunities, workplace culture, learning and development, and confidence are all important factors to consider when developing CPD opportunities for band 5 children's nurses.