Determining the Views of Service Responsible Nurses on Postgraduate Education: A Qualitative Study

Objective: The increasing population and changing demographic structure, scientific advancements, and the growing expectations and need for healthcare specialists are enhancing the importance of higher education in the nursing profession. Understanding the perspectives of service-responsible nurses on postgraduate education is crucial for improving healthcare outcomes. This study aims to determine the views of service-responsible nurses on postgraduate education. Materials and Methods: The research was designed as a phenomenological qualitative study and was conducted with 13 service charge nurses. Data were collected through in-depth individual interviews using a semi-structured interview form and were analyzed using Colaizzi's seven-stage analysis. Results: Four main themes with eight categories were identified as follows: (i) "necessity of postgraduate education," (ii) "effects of postgraduate education," (iii) "contributions of postgraduate education," and (iv) "barriers to continuing postgraduate education." It was found that service-responsible nurses generally consider postgraduate education necessary, believe that it enhances professionalism and specialization among nurses, increases professional respect, accelerates the integration of practice and academia, and provides quality patient care. Conclusions: As a result, responsible nurses see not receiving support from senior management as an obstacle during their postgraduate education process. Based on these findings, it is recommended that upper management support nurses who wish to pursue postgraduate education, that responsible nurses collaborate with universities to facilitate postgraduate education and adopt encouraging policies, and that postgraduate education programs in nursing be integrated with clinical practice.