Abstract:
Introduction: Continuing education is a fundamental health investment that
generates opportunity for nurses to broaden their knowledge, skill, and attitude thereby
they can provide quality of health care. Continuing nursing education adversely treated
with poor management support and resource which include staff, fund, and space are
also identified as factors.
Objectives: the purpose of this study is to assess staff nurses’ participation in
continuing nursing education and associated factors who are working in Amhara
regional referral hospitals, Ethiopia, 2015.
Methods: Institutional based quantitative cross-sectional study design was carried
out from March 12, 2015 to April 12, 2015 and Conducted at Amhara regional state
referral hospitals. A stratified sampling technique was used to select study participants.
A pre tested opened and closed ended self administer questionnaire was used for the
data collection. Eventually data was entered in EPI-INFO version 7 and exported to
SPSS version 20 for analysis.
Result: Only 32.3% of the respondents were participated in continuing nursing
education. Diploma holder nurse (AOR=0.090, 95%CI: 0.014-0.587), nurses who had 1-
2 number of children (AOR=0.262, 95%CI: 0.069-0.996), being working at Felegehiwot
referral hospital (AOR=0.236, 95%CI: 0.113-0.496), monthly salary of less than 1916
birr, 1917-2404 birr and 2405-3145 birr (AOR=0.049, 95%CI: 0.009, 0.255),
(AOR=0.273, 95%CI: 0.134, 0.537) and (AOR=0.240, 95%CI: 0.132, 0.438) respectively
and lack of support from management (AOR=8.45,95%CI:1.993,35.842) were
pronounced predictor of participating in continuing nursing education.
Conclusion: Staff nurses participation in continuing nursing education in Amhara
regional state referral hospitals was found to be very low. It is recommended that
regional health bureau will use finding of this research as stepping stone for human
resource development plan in the respective referral hospitals.
Keywords: participation; continuing nursing education; nurse; Amahara
region, Ethiopia
