Promoting clinical career paths for nurses in West Coast regional cooperation

Developing the clinical career pathways, the roles and competences of clinical specialist nurses and specialist nurses is key to meeting the growing needs of health services, staff shortages and the sector’s attractiveness and retention problems. Multi-disciplinary roles, such as specialist nursing, can improve quality of care, client focus and effectiveness, and offer clear career development opportunities for nurses.

The study explored the link between clinical career paths and the attractiveness and retention of the field, as well as the current status and future development needs of specialist nurse roles. The results showed that training and career opportunities are linked to job commitment and job satisfaction.

Developing the role of specialist nurses through collaboration between universities and welfare regions will create attractive career paths, clarify job structures and strengthen the attractiveness of the sector. It will also help to make more efficient use of nurses’ skills, improve the quality and effectiveness of healthcare and promote cost-effectiveness. The results will provide valuable information, in particular for the development of the specialist nurse model at regional and national level.