Nurse Leaders' Experiences of Implementing Career Advancement Programs for Nurses in Iran

Influencing factors and strategy to the career planning of operating room nurses

Aim

This study aims to investigate the status quo of self‐career planning of nurses working in operating rooms (OR) and analyse the influencing factors.

Methods

A total of 1,418 nurses working in OR were selected and surveyed using a general data questionnaire, a nurse career planning questionnaire and an organizational career management questionnaire.

Results

Multiple linear regression analysis showed that organizational career management perception, hospital‐grade and monthly income were the influencing factors of self‐career planning score of nurses working in OR, which could explain the 56.6% variation of career organization management.

Conclusion

The status quo of self‐career planning in OR nurse was at the middle level, and the scores of different dimensions were not balanced. Reasonable self‐career planning helps the OR nurses improve their professional skills and increase their commitment to work and satisfaction.

Skills Required for Nursing Career Advancement: A Qualitative Study

Background

Nurses require certain skills for progression in their field. Identifying these skills can provide the context for nursing career advancement.

Objectives

This study aimed to identify the skills needed for nurses’ career advancement.

Materials and Methods

A qualitative approach using content analysis was adopted to study a purposive sample of eighteen nurses working in teaching hospitals affiliated with the Qazvin, Shahid Beheshti, and Iran Universities of Medical Sciences. The data were collected through semi-structured interviews, and analyzed using conventional content analysis.

Results

The three themes extracted from the data included interpersonal capabilities, competency for career success, and personal capacities. The results showed that acquiring a variety of skills is essential for career advancement.

Conclusions

The findings showed that personal, interpersonal, and functional skills can facilitate nurses’ career advancement. The effects of these skills on career advancement depend on a variety of conditions that require further studies.