Structural and dynamic prerequisites for career paths as described by Swedish registered nurses holding a doctoral degree

Registered nurses (RNs) with a PhD constitute a resource for other healthcare professionals, patients and relatives, and may contribute to the advancement of nursing research and nursing science in education. Nevertheless, they seem to lack clear descriptions of career pathways or prerequisites for developing a career. Therefore, the aim was to explore existing and desired prerequisites for career development after earning a PhD, as described by RNs. Thirty-six individual, semi-structured interviews were conducted digitally with RNs who had earned a PhD degree between 2016 and 2022. The data analysis was guided by conventional qualitative content analysis. The results showed that prerequisites described as essential for careers formed two categories: Structural and Dynamic , with five subcategories: Employment, Finances, Research culture, Supportive engagement and Personal investments. The described prerequisites for career trajectory planning for PhD-prepared RNs may serve as a guide for the development of national career structures.