Continued professional development (CPD) provision for nurses: a qualitative exploration

Tracey Redwood, Alison Ward, Tracey Ali, Cindy ODell, Claire Poole, Denisa Rebaudo

Research output: Contribution to JournalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

Background: For approximately 1.5 million healthcare practitioners working and registered within the United Kingdom there exists a mandatory requirement to undertake Continued Professional Development. Internationally, healthcare Continued Professional Development is fundamental for frontline staff to practice safely, effectively and maintain up to date skills combined with knowledge. A generally accepted purpose for these regulations is to help nurses and midwives maintain an updated skill set to care for patients safely and competently. This qualitative paper presents the findings from the first phase of, “Converting Willingness to Engagement” project conducting focus groups and interviews with stakeholder nurses in England, UK. This study used a phenomenological approach to draw on the lived experiences of the nurse participants who organise, manage and budget Continued Professional Development activities.

Objectives: To explore ways to capture and retain nursing staff in postgraduate training and education to facilitate professional advancement, maintenance of registration and improve patient care.
Design: Phase one involved a series of qualitative online (virtual) focus group discussions and interviews with stakeholder nurses who commission Continued Professional Development.

Settings: A series of online (virtual) focus group discussions and interviews were then conducted between February and May 2021.

Methods: A purposive sample was identified consisting of clinical service leads, advanced practitioners and matrons involved in workforce development as stakeholders.

Results: Three key themes were identified; the role of the healthcare providers in staff development, staff support provision requirements, and the university’s provision including Continued Professional Development.

Conclusion: Partnership working allows academic partners in universities and healthcare institutions to support nurses in their endeavors to maintain their registrations, develop professionally through further education and Continued Professional Development.
Original languageEnglish
Article number1
Pages (from-to)1 - 8
Number of pages8
JournalHeliyon
Volume10
Issue number12
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 7 Jun 2024

Data Access Statement

The dataset of transcripts of interviews and focus groups data used to support the findings of this study are available at https://doi.org/10.24339/2fd83d67-bd85-4b22-8030-ceecf09ea85c

Keywords

  • NURSING
  • postgraduate education
  • training
  • Continuous Professional Development
  • retention
  • Partnership working
  • Training
  • Nursing
  • Postgraduate education
  • Retention
  • Continued professional development

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