MESSAGE FROM THE EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Abstract

Professional nursing is a career that is respectable and well needed in the world today. Nursing is not only a profession that requires a person to be capable of doing many tasks and having compassion and dedication but also it is a career that is ever changing and enlarging its  field of knowledge. Nursing requires a person to be rational with a sense of responsibility. It has a basic body of knowledge that can be learned and is refreshed and refined through research. As a result, continuing professional development (CPD) is imperative in facilitating the professionalization of nursing in Malaysia. The Malaysian Nurses Board endorsed that nurses are required to participate in a minimum number of hours of education and training each year.  

The Nursing Board of Malaysia realized the importance of CPD, and proposed guidelines for CPD making it mandatory for Malaysian nurses. There is an expectation that nurses to remain updated irrespective of external pressures. But there are several factors that influence Malaysian nurses to participate in CPD. The factors included are demographics, beliefs, attitudes, motivational factors, and educational opportunities. The most common factors that affect the development of CPD among nurses include professional knowledge, professional advancement, relief from routine, compliance with authority, improvement in social welfare skills, and improvement in social relations and acquisition of credentials.

In Malaysia, registered nurses form the largest group of health care personal, providing health care services to the county’s population in both the public and private sectors. Subsequently, their participation in CPD activities will largely depend on the influence of the nurse educator, nurse manager or peers. Therefore through this issue of The Malaysian Journal of Nursing we attempt to promote effectiveness, quality and excellence of the nursing work force and outcomes for care. The chief aim of this article of Malaysian Journal of Nursing is to upgrade the nursing status in Malaysia where nurses are encouraged to pursue higher education. The nursing education in Malaysia is developing progressively. Nurses are highly motivated in engaging in CPD and appreciate the importance of CPD.

Consequently in this era of rapid organizational changes, information technology, increasing public expectations and demand for quality and greater accountability, nurses and midwives must maintain professional competence. For that reason The Malaysian Journal of Nursing tries to discuss the factors which motivate nurses to participate in CPD programs, through the publication of varied articles.

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