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Article Details
27/04/2026
Study of factors influencing the pursue of higher education among registered nurses
(04 - 2026)
1
The nurse is essential in delivering good patient care in the hospital, and her standard of education and experience is
very important. While attending to the patient’s needs, the nurse is also responsible for improving her continued
professional development. The factors that influence nurses not to pursue higher education in Sri Lanka still remain
unclear and unattended which requires a proper study of those influencing factors in order to find solutions and
mitigate the existing shortcomings. As educated nurses can provide better quality patient care, which will improve the
nursing profession as well as the health sector itself, the focus of significance of this research is to identify the factors
that affect the nurses not pursuing or continuing higher education. Identifying such barriers will be beneficial for
health policymakers and stakeholders to take necessary actions to motivate nurses to continue higher education in Sri
Lanka. This is a descriptive cross-sectional study. Data will be collected by principal investigators with a self-administered
questionnaire during non-working hours and when nursing care will not be compromised. The questionnaire will be
developed in English, Sinhala, and Tamil. It consists of four main parts. The sample was 327 nurses, with a 100%
response rate. There were 310 female respondents (94.8%) and 17 male respondents (5.2%). The majority of participants
(68.8%) were between the ages of 31 and 4 0. Overburdening of tasks in the unit was identified as a barrier responsible
for 93.9% of the 07 items assessed for personal factors influencing nurses’ future education. The single most significant
obstacle among the four social components assessed was a lack of employer support. Only the assistance offered to
increase the educational level of the unit was a motivating factor (63.3%) when administrative variables were included.
Higher education institutions were considered. Everything was inspiring. When nurses join higher education, they
identify the load of responsibilities they fulfil, a lack of peer support, and the effect of administration as impediments.
According to the study, the necessity of higher education for nurses, the psychological benefit and the higher
financial gains, and awareness of higher education prospects are all motivating elements.

