Nurses and Midwives’ Perceptions about Benefits of Higher Education and the Barriers Faced by them in Undertaking Higher Studies

Abstract

The study was conducted with the intention to comprehensively identify the nurses and midwives’ perception about the benefits that motivate them for higher education and what ‘they perceive as the barriers faced’ to undertake higher studies. Many nurses would like to go for higher education, but some barriers were strong enough to stop them. Study intended to identify the barriers from their own perception. Survey method with structured questionnaire deployed for data collection. Quantitative and qualitative study design was employed for analysis. Survey on the RNs and RMs’ perception about the benefits of higher education and the barriers to higher education (HE), conducted on 450 multinational nurses and midwives in a multi-specialty hospital in Dubai during September 2018, showed numerical variables like age and years of professional experience are having a significant association with the interest to undertake higher studies. 82.5% of those with DHA experience (21-25 years) shown interest whereas only 30.2% of them with experience more than 26 years Dubai Health Authority (DHA) experience, showed interest. RNs and RMs in the younger age group 22-30 years (73.1%) showed a greater interest for higher studies. No Significant difference in ‘perception of interest to do higher studies’ was observed among nurses and midwives, based on their designation. 61.6% had interest for HE but barriers prevented 83.6% respondents from going for it.