The Personal and Professional Development Experiences of Paediatric Nurses: An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis.

AIM: To explore paediatric nurses' experiences and perceptions of personal and professional development (PPD). BACKGROUND: PPD is a crucial factor in enhancing nurses' job satisfaction and retention. Whilst this topic has been widely explored in general nursing, limited research exists on how paediatric nurses perceive and experience PPD. Registered nurses at the standard clinical grade (Band 5) comprise the majority of the children's nursing workforce, but are rarely the focus of PPD. DESIGN: This UK-based qualitative study used interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) following COREQ guidelines. Trustworthiness was ensured through researcher reflexivity, PhD supervision and member checking. METHODS: A purposeful sample of 15 nurses working in acute paediatric services across four organisations were interviewed, with a range of ages, experiences and work qualifications. Each participant was interviewed twice, and data were analysed using a seven-step IPA framework. RESULTS: Four overarching themes emerged: Individual impact, work location, employing organisation and external factors. PPD was experienced as a dynamic, non-linear process shaped by intrinsic motivation, personal circumstance, workplace culture and managerial gatekeeping, staffing constraints, organisational funding and geographic inequity. Paediatric nurses felt undervalued when compared to other nursing fields, experiencing limited field-specific development. CONCLUSIONS: This study suggests the implementation of organisational strategies at the unit and hospital level to support PPD. To shape the most effective approaches, it is also necessary to consider individual and extra-organisational levels, which might affect the human resource management in this area. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING MANAGEMENT: Nurse managers must act as enablers rather than gatekeepers of PPD. It is key to ensure equitable access to opportunities, with adequate staffing and field-specific pathways of development. National minimum standards for paediatric nursing PPD are needed to address systemic inequity.