Abstract
The purpose of this study was to clarify the personal/environmental factors related to clinical nurses' learning needs and to discuss the concept of continuing education. The investigation was carried out with the nurses and the nurse administrators using a questionnaire that included personal and environmental factors and learning needs assessment tools. Valid responses were received from 719 of the subjects, and they were analyzed.
Statistically significant differences were found four personal factors and one environmental factor as follows. The personal factor items, which consisted of: (1) the desire for career advancement, (2) the acquisition of academic degrees and qualifications, (3) the level of participation in in-hospital programs, and (4) the experience of participation in education programs. The environmental factor item consisted of the type of hospital.
Nurses who aimed for career advancement or for the acquisition of academic degrees and qualifi-cations had high learning needs; and in terms of continuing education, a reinforcement of the support system for the development of individual career advancement programs seems to be effective. In addition, nurses working in convalescent wards tended to have low learning need scores.
It is suggested the necessity of improving an educational system at their facility, using the educational resource and establishing the education network in the neighborhood.
