FACTORS RELATED TO PURSUING HIGHER EDUCATION AMONG NURSES IN A DEVELOPING CONTEXT

Abstract

Introduction: Higher education plays a vital role in nursing education, nursing care, nursing practice, and administration. This research examines the factors that facilitate the pursuit of higher education, including personal and professional factors such as promotion, better job positions, and job satisfaction. It also discusses the challenges faced, which include both personal and institutional factors, such as financial constraints and a busy work schedule during studies.

Material & Methods: In this literature review, existing studies on the inhibiting and facilitating factors were retrieved through a literature search in PubMed, the Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), and Google Scholar.

Results: Preliminary evidence suggests that inhibiting factors for higher education include financial issues, work schedules, and organizational policies. On the other hand, facilitating factors are associated with the acquisition of knowledge and skills, high job positions, and personal satisfaction. Therefore, pursuing higher education presents several challenges, and there is a need for research in developing countries to identify context-specific inhibiting and facilitating factors. This research would help overcome these challenges and enhance facilitating factors to increase the number of nurses and address the shortage of highly qualified professionals.

Conclusion: Nurses face both facilitating factors and challenges in higher education, including institutional, personal, and professional factors. Higher education students can significantly overcome these challenges through access to scholarships, flexible work schedules, and a sense of unity among nurses.