Skills Required for Nursing Career Advancement: A Qualitative Study

BACKGROUND: Nurses require certain skills for progression in their field. Identifying these skills can provide the context for nursing career advancement. OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to identify the skills needed for nurses’ career advancement. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A qualitative approach using content analysis was adopted to study a purposive sample of eighteen nurses working in teaching hospitals affiliated with the Qazvin, Shahid Beheshti, and Iran Universities of Medical Sciences. The data were collected through semi-structured interviews, and analyzed using conventional content analysis. RESULTS: The three themes extracted from the data included interpersonal capabilities, competency for career success, and personal capacities. The results showed that acquiring a variety of skills is essential for career advancement. CONCLUSIONS: The findings showed that personal, interpersonal, and functional skills can facilitate nurses’ career advancement. The effects of these skills on career advancement depend on a variety of conditions that require further studies.