title: Exploring factors affecting registered nurses' pursuit of postgraduate education in Australia.
abstract: The aim of this study was to explore the factors influencing registered nurses' pursuit of postgraduate education in specialty nursing practice in Australia. Despite the increased requirement for postgraduate education for advanced practice, little has been reported on the contributory factors involved in the decision to undertake further education. The Nurses' Attitudes Towards Postgraduate Education instrument was administered to 1632 registered nurses from the Nurses and Midwives e-Cohort Study across Australia, with a response rate of 35.9% (n = 568). Data reduction techniques using principal component analysis with varimax rotation were used. The analysis identified a three-factor solution for 14 items, accounting for 52.5% of the variance of the scale: "facilitators," "professional recognition," and "inhibiting factors." Facilitators of postgraduate education accounted for 28.5% of the variance, including: (i) improves knowledge; (ii) increases nurses' confidence in clinical decision-making; (iii) enhances nurses' careers; (iv) improves critical thinking; (v) improves nurses' clinical skill; and (vi) increased job satisfaction. This new instrument has potential clinical and research applications to support registered nurses' pursuit of postgraduate education.
authors.affiliation: School of Nursing, Midwifery and Social Work, The University of Queensland, Translational Research Institute, Woolloongabba, Queensland, Australia.
authors.forename: Linda
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Ng
authors.affiliation: Academic Research Manager, Princess Alexandra Hospital Emergency Department Research Program, The University of Queensland- School of Medicine, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.
authors.forename: Robert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Eley
authors.affiliation: School of Nursing, Midwifery and Social Work, St Lucia, Queensland, Australia.|Yonsei University Health System, College of Nursing, Seodaemun-gu, Seoul, Korea.|University of Virginia, The University of Virginia School of Nursing, Charlottesville, Virginia, USA.
authors.forename: Anthony
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Tuckett
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D001315:Australia; D015331:Cohort Studies; D004511:Education, Nursing, Graduate / Q000191:economics / Q000592:standards*; D004522:Educational Status; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000150:complications / Q000523:psychology; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D017132:Workplace / Q000592:standards
keywords: NATPGE; facilitators; inhibiting factors; postgraduate education; professional recognition; registered nurse