Nurses' experiences of career pathways; would they benefit from more career guidance? An interpretative phenomenological analysis.

There is limited literature around any form of career guidance being in place to support nurses within their career pathways and whilst there are some frameworks in existence attempting to provide this within nurses’ careers, these do not appear to have either been effective or implemented resulting in a lack of career guidance for individuals. The aim of this research therefore was to determine how individuals have perceived their own career pathways by gaining a greater understanding of their own experiences with a view of determining if the outcomes suggest a case for change and the need for added career guidance. To meet the aim an Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) methodology was utilised. This is a qualitative methodology examining how people make sense of their life experiences. Semi-structured, recorded virtual interviews were undertaken with twelve registered adult nurses from across the United Kingdom (UK) from both public and private settings but all of whom either previously or currently work/ed in adult respiratory nursing. Each of the interviews were transcribed by the researcher and analysed in the first instance on an individual basis and then collectively to detect over-arching super ordinate themes and subordinate themes in keeping with the IPA methodology. The findings included five main themes, two of which were combined thus resulting in 4 main themes: •Personal career pathways and career guidance/pathways •Influencers/inspirational figures/drivers and societal influencers •Education •Management/Leadership and organisations. The conclusions resulted in four main recommendations from this research. Firstly, that more research needs to be undertaken in all branches of nursing and in other countries to determine if the issues raised in this research translate to other areas of nursing as well as on the international stage. Secondly that more career guidance in whichever format would be welcomed by nurses to help guide them through their careers. As part of this career guidance, it is recommended that nurses receive mentorship, education and leadership as a constant throughout their careers, as well as managerial and organisational support which could be seen as forming part of the overall career guidance package. Lastly, more research is required to determine the reasons as to why nurses are leaving the profession prematurely.