English training requirements and associated factors for non-native English-speaking nurses: A critical gap analysis based on the importance-performance method

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: To investigate the English training requirements, priorities, and related factors of non-native English-speaking nurses. BACKGROUND: Few studies have focused on the English training requirements of nurses in non-native English-speaking hospitals, and even fewer applied quantitative methods to analyze their English needs and related factors. DESIGN: A total of 397 clinical nurses from a hospital in Zhejiang Province, China, were invited to answer questions from the 17-item English Language Requirement Scale (ELRS-17) through an online questionnaire system from May 7–12, 2021. METHODS: The importance-performance analysis (IPA) method was used to identify the critical training requirement gaps in the English skills of non-native English-speaking nurses in the case hospital. RESULTS: The results of requirements showed that looking up foreign literature, writing medical/nursing academic articles and reports, and attending international medical/nursing academic conferences were the top three English learning purposes for nurses. Critical gap analysis with the IPA method revealed that medical dialogues (e.g., morning shift conversations), speeches (e.g., academic symposia), and everyday talk (e.g., telephoning and greetings) are very important yet inadequately trained skills for nurses at present, while nurses are adequately competent at the important tasks of understanding medical/nursing lectures and courses and oral international academic reports and reading academic articles and reports. CONCLUSION: The results of this study indicate that English training requirements for non-native English-speaking nurses revolve around facilitating contribution to nursing research and conference attendance, while more focus on spoken English is needed. Hospital decision makers can better understand the requirements and current performance of English language training for non-native English-speaking nurses. Furthermore, a suitable training plan and corresponding content can be designed for nurses.