A total of 14 participants were interviewed, none refused or withdrew. The mean age of the participants was 33, and 11 of the 14 participants were married. The detailed characteristics of the nurses are presented in Table 2. Four themes emerged from the interviews, as follows.
Improving specialty ability
When interviewees talked about their CPD, they expected to strengthen the ability of clinical specialty. Accordingly, the following narratives were recorded:
“For nurses, expertise is so important. No matter whether you are going to be … a nurse manager or a nurse educator, you need master relevant professional knowledge, which could increase your confidence”. (Nurse 1)
“I want to be more proficient in both nurse management and clinical professional knowledge. Thus…, as a head nurse, I also have participated in many academic meetings to get an opportunity to communicate and upgrade knowledge in recent years”. (Nurse 7)
Moreover, when nurses get knowledge and ability in a certain specialty area, they may feel valued and respected, as one nurse said: “I thought that the personal professional development needed to be more specialized in the clinical, because… if nurses expected to win respect, no matter whether it came from the doctor or the patient, they must master a lot of knowledge”. (Nurse 3)
Table 2
Characteristics of the fourteen nurses
No.
|
Department
|
Age
(years)
|
Years of experience in nursing
|
Marital status
|
Education level
|
Position
|
1
|
Operating department
|
32
|
10
|
Married
|
Master degree
|
Clinical nurse
|
2
|
Surgical department
|
30
|
9
|
Married
|
Bachelor degree
|
Clinical nurse
|
3
|
Emergency department
|
30
|
10
|
Married
|
Bachelor degree
|
Clinical nurse
|
4
|
Internal Medical department
|
26
|
4
|
Single
|
Bachelor degree
|
Clinical nurse
|
5
|
Internal Medical department
|
31
|
10
|
Married
|
Bachelor degree
|
Clinical nurse
|
6
|
Pediatric department
|
32
|
7
|
Married
|
Bachelor degree
|
Clinical nurse
|
7
|
Surgical department
|
39
|
19
|
Married
|
Bachelor degree
|
Head nurse
|
8
|
Surgical department
|
40
|
17
|
Married
|
Bachelor degree
|
Clinical nurse
|
9
|
Gynecology department
|
28
|
4
|
Single
|
Bachelor degree
|
Clinical nurse
|
10
|
Rotating nurse
|
23
|
2
|
Single
|
Bachelor degree
|
Clinical nurse
|
11
|
Pediatric department
|
35
|
14
|
Married
|
Master degree
|
Head nurse
|
12
|
Oncology department
|
38
|
18
|
Married
|
Bachelor degree
|
Clinical nurse
|
13
|
Geriatric department
|
35
|
15
|
Married
|
Bachelor degree
|
Clinical nurse
|
14
|
Internal medical department
|
38
|
16
|
Married
|
Master degree
|
Clinical research nurse
|
Different development phases
Nurses’ professional development was categorized into three stages including confusion, exploration and maintenance.
Confusion
For novice nurses with few years working experience, they may feel confused about their growth and have no idea about where they should go. These nurses have to take some time and energy to be more familiar with workplace environment and clinical practice. The following narrative highlighted these findings:
“I didn’t think too much about the future development, because I had just entered ICU for less than one year, so… I should be familiar with the work environment”. (Nurse 4)
“I have just been working for one year, and I have no idea about my development yet. Now I just hope to …adapt to the working environment”. (Nurse 10)
Exploration
The continuing learning is necessary for nurses who have to cope with an ever-changing healthcare environment. When nurses get integrated into the clinical practice, they master nursing skills and feel confident in performing their clinical tasks. For further development, they may try to increase their comprehensive ability.
“Now, I not only need to do the clinical nursing work, but also take charge of the teaching tasks of our department. Besides … I have participated in the training of specialist nurses, and I am going to applied for health related-qualification certificate next year”. (Nurse 2)
“Now I am an on-job postgraduate student, and I want to get promoted to a higher title later. In addition, I have participated in various activities to enhance my comprehensive ability…”. (Nurse 9)
Maintenance
For nurses who have gotten target and position on their professional development, they have to enhance ability and keep improving. Accordingly, the following narratives were recorded:
“Now I am working as a teaching supervisor in our department, and I feel very confident that I will do better”. (Nurse 1)
“Because I am a graduate student, and I would continue to do the nursing research…”. (Nurse 14)
“As a specialist nurse, of course…, I would can make my profession better”. (Nurse 8)
The importance of personal effort
Individual initiative and willingness are the main factors to motivate professional development. Nurses have taken use of various resource to keep learning and update knowledge.
“I have attended a lot of online classes now. For example, I have attended online classes via mobile phone on subway, so… I can arrange time reasonably”. (Nurse 2)
“I read every day when I come home after work…, it is more important to read books about cardiovascular medicine, except for nursing books”. (Nurse 5)
“If you are willing to pursue self-development, you will get the opportunity”. (Nurse 12).
The obstacle of work-family conflict
Professional development requires time and energy. Nurse staff attend CPD activities in their personal time to meet the requirements of the nursing service. When they use their personal time to participate in CPD activities, doing so directly conflicts with their family life and vacations, especially for nurses at the age of childbearing. The following narrative highlighted these findings:
“My family need me, and two young children need to be taken care of… These things cost me a lot of time and energy”. (Nurse 3)
“I have two children. So… I have to spend much more time to take care of them. …sometimes I feel very … helplessness about my own development”. (Nurse 13)