Factors Associated with Participation in Continuing Education Activities among Hospital Nurses in Buenos Aires, Argentina

Objective: Identify the factors associated with participation in continuing education activities among nursing staff in the general hospital service of a private health institution in Buenos Aires, Argentina.Methods: This was a descriptive, cross-sectional, quantitative study. An abbreviated version of the Reasons for Participation in Continuing Education Scale was administered. The Infostat program was used for data analysis.Results: A total of 96 nursing workers participated. Of those, 62.5% were between 31 and 50 years old, 91.6% were women, 46.9% were single, 62.5% had children, and 78.1% were heads of household. Labor characterization showed that 38.54% had an undergraduate degree, 48.96% had ten or more years of work experience, 39.58% worked weekends and holidays, and 19.79% had more than one job. The reasons related to keeping updated on new advances in nursing and improving economic income were evaluated the best and worst, respectively. Respondents who were single showed a greater willingness to participate in continuing education activities.Conclusions: Overall, the perception of reasons to participate in continuing education was positive. However, organizational support to encourage nursing staff to continue training needs improvement.