Registered nurses’perceptions of gerontological continuing education needs in the United Kingdom and in the USA

Abstract

This descriptive research was conducted to determine perceived gerontological continuing education needs and priorities in the United Kingdom. The data collection questionnaire utilized was developed and previously implemented with gerontological registered nurses in the US. Findings and similarities from both samples are discussed. In the British study, a convenience sample of 123 gerontological registered nurses participated in the study. In the US study, a statewide random sample of 152 gerontological nurses and a purposive sample of 10 nurse experts completed surveys by post. All respondents were asked to rate either personal educational need or to rate the needs of nurses in general. In both the US and UK a degree of need was indicated for every topic on the survey, with little concensus of the top priorities. t-Test analysis (P < 0.05) revealed significant differences between general and personal perceptions for 75% of the topics in the UK study and 57% of the topics in the US study. A noteworthy finding in both studies was the consistent perception that educational need was greater for nurses in general than for personal need. The high level of identified need for educational preparation and the diverse perceptions regarding priorities, along with disparity in the personal versus general educational need, supports the need for future research to refine needs assessment strategies which may require a variety of strategies.