Introduction. Postgraduate education, according to the Act for nurse and midwife professions, is the duty of any professionally active nurse.

Aim. The aim of the study was to discover motives for which nurses decide to enrol in a variety of postgraduate study programmes and to
indicate which of these motives are the most prominent, as well as to observe obstacles encountered during the course of professional
advancement.

Material and methods. There were 95 nurses involved in professional advancement courses of various forms participated in the study. The
study was conducted by the means of a diagnostic opinion poll and a copyright questionnaire.

Results and conclusions. The analysis of the results of the study revealed that nurses consider postgraduate education and professional
advancement necessary. The motives which were given most frequently were the possibility to advance one’s knowledge, as well as professional
skills and professional prestige. The obstacles observed were: lack of motivation and financial difficulties.