Addressing the educational needs of shiftworkers: should shift be a consideration?

159 ICU nurses in 2 university teaching hospitals were surveyed regarding their motivational orientations for continuing education attendance. Overall, the sample was primarily motivated by reasons related to cognitive interest and professional advancement. T tests between day shift and night shift on each of 6 subscales of the Education Participation Scale were not significant. Significant correlations between mean scores on some subscales and demographic and social data were revealed. Implications for nursing administrators and educators are discussed.