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| Author(s), year, country | Aim | Methods (scope of career) | Main results or central content |
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| Afriani et al. [16], 2021, Indonesia | To identify the relationship between institutional and nurses’ readiness for change in implementing nursing career paths in health centres | Quantitative survey of 93 nurses in public health centres and statistical analyses (clinical nursing) | There was a strong positive relationship between institutional and nurses’ readiness. Institutional readiness for change, such as superiors’ attitudes and commitment, and nurses’ readiness, were needed to implement nursing career paths in public health centres. The nurses considered both had reached a good level |
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| Bramley et al. [35], 2018, UK | To describe the implementation and evaluation results of the bespoke chief nurse fellow programme for frontline junior clinical staff. This was designed to develop skills in innovation, leadership, improvement science, and change management | Theoretical paper: project report (nursing leadership) | The pilot programme had a positive impact on the nurses’ professional development and enabled them to become familiar with an alternative career route |
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| Chen and Haller [55], 2015, Canada | To examine the relationship between nurses’ career burnout and career wellbeing and how career counsellors can improve their career wellbeing | Theoretical paper (clinical nursing) | Career counsellors can improve nurses’ career wellbeing by enhancing effective coping skills and helping goal progress. Combining narrative and social learning career counselling approaches were suggested |
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| Choo et al. [37], 2019, Singapore | To explore the role-transition experiences of assistant nurse clinicians after their first year of appointment | Qualitative primary care study. Interviews with 22 registered nurses and content analysis (clinical nursing) | Previous clinical experience eased the transition. Peer support, mentorship, and training in managerial skills were needed |
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| Cooper et al. [43], 2019, UK | To outline how nursing, midwifery, and allied health professions had been supported to develop clinical academic roles and their contribution to research and innovation in care | Theoretical paper (clinical academic nursing) | Clinical academics needed organizational support to combine clinical and research activity. The hospital’s strategic commitment to promoting research and evidence-based practice was important. Clinical staff needed predoctoral opportunities to become familiar with academic work. Work time and mentoring was needed to apply for funding in the postdoctoral phase |
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| Duffield et al. [39], 2014, Australia | To evaluate a career development policy in South Australia, which increased the number of senior staff nurse positions and provided senior registered nurses with time away from clinical duties to undertake agreed projects | Qualitative hospital-based study with 54 senior staff nurses who participated in career structure arrangements and interviews. Analysis method not specified (clinical nursing) | The organization’s policy increased the number of senior staff nurse positions and enabled senior RNs to get involved in strategic portfolio projects that aimed to improve organizational effectiveness and care quality. Nurses felt this new policy helped their career and skills and enriched their working lives |
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| Esplen et al. [42], 2018, Canada | To describe a model of education developed based on the novice to expert specialty training framework and its success in offering structured oncology continuing education training to nurses, from undergraduate levels to continued career development in clinical settings | Theoretical paper: project report (clinical nursing) | The paper underlines the importance of nurses’ continuing education and certification to ensure high clinical competency. An education institute developed oncology education, including mentorship for lifelong learning and a novice to expert framework with a credit system and a national certification exam. The learning institute partnered with nurse associations. The model notably increased oncology nurses’ certifications |
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| Faithfull-Byrne et al. [31], 2017, Australia | To describe a quality improvement project to promote nursing assistants to enrolled nurses | Theoretical paper: project report (clinical nursing) | A hospital and educational institution created a flexible career path for nursing assistants to become enrolled nurses. The two-year study programme included theory and clinical practice. The hospital’s nurse educator coordinated the studies and nurse managers helped students to balance their work. Grants covered financial losses due to time away from work. The programme was an effective workforce development strategy for the hospital |
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| Freeman and Gray [33], 2013, UK | To discuss the benefits of a career and development framework for infection prevention and control nurses, developed by a health service organization | Theoretical paper (clinical nursing) | The framework defined responsibilities and professional requirements from practitioner to consultant level, focusing on leadership, learning, evidence, research and development, and clinical practice. It helped individuals to progress their careers, employers, and managers to plan their workforce and mentors to providing support |
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| Jangland et al. [54], 2021, Sweden | To evaluate the implementation of a multifaceted mentoring programme in a large university hospital and describe its value from the perspectives of newly graduated nurses, experienced nurses, and the hospital | Qualitative hospital-based study on 35 nurses, supervisors, and nurse managers, with interviews and thematic analysis (clinical nursing) | Mentors were senior nurses. The mentoring programme comprised research knowledge to guide nursing work, practical and situational guidance for clinical nursing, and group discussions. New nurses found the programme meaningful for their work wellbeing and senior support important in their clinical work. Acting as mentors offered senior nurses a new career opportunity |
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| Jokiniemi et al. [47], 2020, Finland | To formulate, validate, and disseminate policies modelling nurses’ career pathway from registered nurse (RN) to advanced practice nurse (APN) | Multiple methods: review, interviews, survey and expert group discussions (clinical academic nursing) | Three competence levels were modelled: RN, specialized nurse, and APN. Central elements in a national RN to APN policy were establishing and enabling new roles, developing education, enhancing appreciation, networking and collaboration, knowledge translation, and governing the roles |
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| Lanada and Forde-Johnston [45], 2021, UK | To reduce variations and standardize job titles, job descriptions, and job plans for clinical nurse educators (CNEs) and identify the academic requirements and professional experience required of each band | Qualitative study with 12 CNEs and 11 senior nurses. Focus group interviews and comparative content analysis (clinical academic nursing) | Job titles, descriptions, and plans were reviewed and CNE roles standardized to reduce variations and inconsistencies. These aligned overall job summaries, teaching activities, and management responsibilities. CNEs were offered career advice and support in line with these career progression descriptions. Staff perceived the new roles as meaningful |
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| Lees-Deutsch et al. [48], 2016, UK | To enable nurses, practitioners, and managers to distinguish between enhancing, expanding, or advancing practice. To clarify points of progression and integrate “advancement” into an acute medical setting | Theoretical paper (clinical nursing) | The paper presents a conceptual framework for nursing career advancement in acute medicine. The framework included five ascending levels of practice and distinguished enhanced, expanded, and advanced ones |
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| Martens et al. [56], 2018, USA | To identify common experiences or barriers during the first year as certified registered nurse anesthetists (CRNAs) moved into management | Qualitative study with 20 members of the American Association of Nurse Anesthesiology | CRNAs had often “fallen” into managerial roles without adequate managerial competencies. Transition support, mentorship, and education were important in the role. People skills were crucial in managerial work |
| To identify the knowledge, skills, abilities, and resources needed to ensure a smooth and successful career transition | Interviews and qualitative analysis. (Nursing leadership) |
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| McGhie-Anderson [46], 2017, USA | To gain an understanding of the social processes associated with the decision of diploma and associate degree nurses to advance academically | Qualitative hospital-based study with 15 diploma and associate degree nurses and 7 other nurses. Interviews and qualitative data analysis (clinical academic nursing) | Rewarding, motivating, and supporting were important factors for nurses’ decisions to advance academically. Rewards and positive work environment motivated nurses to progress |
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| Pacho et al. [57], 2023, USA | To present the implementation of a program in a medical centre to support ambulatory care nurses make the transition from direct care to clinical nurse coordinator roles | Theoretical paper: project report (nursing leadership) | The four-week programme combined a web-based toolkit, mentoring network, and shadow shifts. Programme evaluation reflected the nurses’ satisfaction with the program and their desired professional advancement |
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| Rahimi et al. [34], 2019, Iran | To investigate the factors affecting career development of nurses in Iran | Delphi study. Hospital-based with 48 nurses and nursing faculty members. Interviews and content analysis, questionnaires, and statistical analyses (clinical nursing) | Central factors affecting nurses’ career development were specialization, professional development, and increasing their organizational power and influence |
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| Reville and Foxwell [51], 2017, USA | To present a new competency evaluation tool, the Advanced Practice Palliative Nurse Competency Milestones, to provide a framework for its application and to describe the authors’ experience with its use | Theoretical paper (clinical academic nursing) | The tool suggests five competence levels from novice to expert in nine areas of palliative competence |
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| Roddam et al. [49], 2019, UK | To explore the perspectives of aspiring or active clinical academics and health care managers in the nursing, midwifery and allied health professions (NMAHPs) about the benefits, barriers, and enablers of engagement in these career pathways | Qualitative healthcare study focusing on NMAHPs. Workshop data and thematic analysis (clinical academic nursing) | An organizational structure and resources were needed to enable clinical academic career progress, including funding and permanent academic posts. Individuals’ research capacity needed to be promoted and networks and mentoring played a central role |
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| Ryley and Middleton [52], 2016, UK | To discuss the implementation of the Welsh Government’s advanced practice framework into a Welsh University health board | Theoretical paper (clinical academic nursing) | The paper presents the five stages of the development of the advanced nurse practitioner role |
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| Sandehang et al. [38], 2019, Indonesia | To investigate career mapping for nurses at a new hospital in Jakarta | Qualitative case study in hospital. Discussing CP&D with 8 registered nurses and 6 nurse managers. Content analysis (clinical nursing) | Career mapping aimed to match nurses with adequate skills with optimal work based on prerequisites set by the employer. Mapping focused on the educational level, work experience, and competency assessment. Some challenges were recognized, such as time limitations |
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| Sattler et al. [40], 2021, USA | To describe the innovative nurse retention role implemented in the medical health system in the USA | Theoretical paper: project report (clinical nursing) | A medical health system developed a nurse retention role, including meetings with nurses, building collaborative relationships, revising clinical ladders, cultivating peer mentoring, creating a system-wide recruitment structure, and promoting recognition of effort. Participation in nursing career development increased, nurse turnover dropped significantly and financial savings were achieved |
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| Sheikhi et al. [36], 2015, Iran | To explore nurse leaders’ experiences of implementing the nurses’ career advancement pathway program in Iran | Qualitative study in hospital with 16 nurse managers. Interviews and content analysis (clinical nursing) | First, shortcomings in performance evaluation were recognized as evaluations were not continuous, there was no agreement between the evaluation criteria and the nurses’ job descriptions and evaluation was subjective. Second, they needed to pay attention to the point accumulation so that it did not exceed educational needs. Third, there was an advancement-latitude mismatch. Career advancement may lead to pay rises and higher positions but not role expansion and considerable changes in job descriptions |
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| Smith et al., 2018 [44], Australia | To consider clinician researcher career frameworks. To propose a new pathway, integrating university and health service components to support research career progression within nursing and midwifery practice | Theoretical paper: discussion (clinical academic nursing) | A national researcher career pathway for nurses and midwives was proposed, which comprised six levels from research assistant to chair/clinical professor. Each level specified a title, level of qualification, australian qualifications framework level, role expectations, and examples of role-specific skills |
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| Thompson et al. [50], 2012, USA | To introduce a model emphasizing the importance of mentoring and/or coaching for the aspiring executive nurse leader | Theoretical paper (nursing leadership) | Nurses’ career trajectories towards leadership roles can be supported by mentoring and coaching. Mentoring is support, role modelling, discussions, and reflections between a nurse and an experienced executive. Coaching is more orientated to targets and clients and about nurses growing into their new roles. When nurses aspire to executive positions mentoring and coaching can proceed in three phases: basic fundamental knowledge, experiential learning, and advanced system thinking |
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| Tucker et al. [53], 2019, USA | To describe how knowledge translation tools were used to guide the implementation of a professional development and career planning program, developed and piloted in an urban Chicago hospital. The aim was to reduce the turnover of newly hired nurses and looking at how to make this a sustainable change | Theoretical paper: project report and commentary (clinical nursing) | Nurses planned their career with a program coordinator and received information on career developmental possibilities. The Alberta Context Tool collected information on the nurses’ work environment, namely, the units’ strengths and readiness for change. Programme implementation included assessing, monitoring, and evaluation. Educating and involving nurse managers was central. Nurse turnover decreased. Use of knowledge transition models, context assessment, and expert recommendations for implementing change strategies were important for sustainable change |
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| Wasike et al. [41], 2019, UK | To examine the learning outcomes from a pilot career program developed to advance home care nurses’ professional competencies and career planning | Multiple method study with 15 home care nurses. Questionnaires and statistical analyses, interviews, and thematic analysis (clinical nursing) | The six-month program comprised one-day workshops and particularly focused on leadership and quality improvement skills, potential career paths in home care, and conversation confidence. Nurses found the program beneficial for their practice, professional self-image, and planning career |
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| Woolnough and Fielden [32], 2014, UK | To investigate the effects of a career development and mentoring programme on female mental health nurses’ career and personal development. The study used a matched comparison group | Qualitative study in mental health nursing with 54 female mental health nurses: 27 who did and 27 who did not receive intervention. Interviews and thematic content analysis (clinical nursing) | The nurses who participated in the program experienced personal development outcomes. Participants progressed more in their career during the 18-month period than the control group |
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