Aim: The aim of our research was to find out the position (and its changes over a period of time) of continuing education on the personal work values scale of general nurses working in hospitals in the Czech Republic. Methods: The research was designed as a comparative study (comparison of results from the years 2006, 2011 and 2016). The data were obtained through a questionnaire using Herzberg’s two-factor theory of motivation. However, the theory was adapted to reflect current conditions of care-givers who work within a multidisciplinary team. The questionnaire aimed at distinguishing the order of the selected factors of working environment, which subsequently created the scale of personal values. 3081 respondents took part in the research in 2006, 1992 respondents in 2011, and 1751 respondents in 2016. The comparative analysis data were processed with the Euclidean distance model and non-parametric tests. Results: In 2006, the possibility to engage in continuing education occupied 8th place on the scale of personal preferences (out of 16), in 2011 it ranked 10th, and 12th in 2016. The research results reveal a long-term tendency towards a decrease of personal preferences regarding continuing education. The decrease was statistically significant between the years 2006 and 2011 and the year 2016 (p < 0.001). The results indicate that with an increasing age the preference for continuing education decreases (p < 0.001). A statistically significant reduction in the preference for continuing education was found in nurses aged approx. 45 years. Conclusions: Highly professional, effective and good quality education (and subsequent continuing education) is essential for the provision of safe and good quality care. A nurse in a managerial position should encourage staff nurses to continually learn irrespective of their age. Only this may lead to a high quality care for patients.

Charles University 1st Faculty of Medicine Institute of Nursing Theory and Practice Prague Czech Republic

Palacký University Olomouc Faculty of Health Sciences Department of Humanities and Social Sciences Olomouc Czech Republic

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