Purpose – The purpose of this article is to review the extant literature on CPE amongst nurses and concentrate on discovering the factors that motivate and inhibit participation in CPE for nurses in Ireland. Design/methodology/approach – A review of the literature was carried out on continuing professional development amongst nurses in Ireland, the UK, the USA and Australia. From this, research hypotheses were developed. The primary research concentrated on a cohort of practicing registered nurses participating in a CPE course at a third-level institution in Ireland. A questionnaire was used that contained both open and closed-ended questions.

AIM:
The aim of this study was to explore the reason for nurses' participation in postregistration education.

BACKGROUND:
The study was located in one third level institution in Ireland and prospective candidates who applied to undertake a programme of studies were invited to complete the postal questionnaire and return it to the college anonymously in advance of commencing their studies.

METHOD:
A descriptive survey research design was adopted with the use of a questionnaire for data collection. The respondents had an opportunity to make additional comments in a questionnaire, which generated some qualitative data.

RESULTS:
A total of 243 questionnaires were returned which represented a 46.7% response rate. The major reasons for participating in postregistration education were 'to obtain promotion to a higher grade/position' (99%) and 'to enable me extend my clinical role' (98%).

CONCLUSION:
Investment in nursing education should take into account the reasons for participation in continuing education and professional development as identified in this study and in other studies so as to focus efforts that improve planning for long-term continuing education and professional development. The adoption of such a strategic approach by employers will ensure more precise targeting of scarce continuing education and professional development resources. Equally, expectation without adequate investment is not realistic if the profession wants to move forward in this era of rapid change in the delivery of health care.

Continuing professional development (CPD) is costly in terms of both organizational resources and personal time and effort. It forms an important part of the strategy for modernizing the health service and is an expectation of qualified nurses. There is little evidence to demonstrate the impact of CPD in terms of improved patient care and services. A small pilot study was undertaken. A group of intensive therapy unit (ITU) managers developed a goal attainment scale (GAS) to evaluate the impact of an ITU course. Results suggest that the ITU course did make a difference to the development of ITU nurses, but the nurses who did not take the course also developed. This has implications for service providers and educationalists in terms of expectations, timing and content of courses. The GAS was a useful tool as an approach to evaluating the impact of CPD but requires more rigorous testing before it can be described as reliable and valid.