Introduction

In Poland, a gradual increase of nurses and other health care workers interest in improvement of professional qualifications as part of postgraduate education, has been observed for several years. For this reason, one should strive to develop the educational infrastructure and influence the motivation of professionals from the health care sector in order not to waste their potential.

Aim of the study

The aim of the study was to evaluate the impact of the sense of coherence on the motivation of nurses from Małopolska to undertake postgraduate education.

Material and methods

The study was conducted from January to March 2018 in two postgraduate training centres in Krakow. In the study participated 211 female nurses and 5 male nurses who are undergoing specialization. The Life Orientation Questionnaire (SOC-29) was used to evaluate overall indicator of coherence. In addition, during the study, original research tool was used, which content was focused on motivating factors to take up postgraduate education and the difficulties associated with it.

Results

The average result achieved on the scale of the sense of coherence was 130.36 points and was located in the middle zone of average results. The most common motivations to undertake postgraduate education were: “willingness to improve the level of knowledge and skills”, and “higher salary”. The main difficulty associated with the training process were “disorganization of family life” and “lack of sufficient time”. The statistical analysis showed a significant relationship between the nurses’ sense of meaningfulness and their desire to improve competences.

Conclusions

Personal resources of persons performing the profession of nurse may determine their professional development. A sense of manageability, meaningfulness and comprehensibility can contribute to self-improvement in the area of the profession.