Affiliation:
1. Department of Clinical Science and Education, Södersjukhuset Karolinska Institutet Stockholm Sweden
2. Unit of Intervention and Implementation Research for Worker Health, Institute of Environmental Medicine Karolinska Institutet Stockholm Sweden
Abstract
AbstractAimsTo explore Registered Nurses' motives to undergo specialist training and to choose a particular speciality.DesignA descriptive qualitative interview study.MethodsSemi‐structured interviews were conducted during 2021 with 20 Swedish specialist nurse students from different specialisation areas. Qualitative content analysis was used. The COREQ checklist was used to report the study.ResultsSpecialist nurse students' motivations for further training were divided into three main categories with two sub‐categories each. The main categories were ‘toward new challenges and conditions in work life’, ‘contributions to the development and higher competencies in health care’ and ‘personal work and life experiences as ground for choice’.ConclusionOur study demonstrates the importance of motivating factors in the career choices of Specialist nurse students, such as personal challenges, desirable working conditions, career growth opportunities and personal experiences in the career choices. Creating a supportive work environment that helps to prioritise work‐life balance and offers the development of new skills might help retain nurses.No Patient or Public ContributionNo patient or public contribution was used. However, if more nurses would choose to undergo specialist training, especially in areas facing significant shortages, it would most likely lead to improved health‐related outcomes for patients or populations.