Introduction. Modern nurses and midwives constantly update their knowledge and improve skills. The necessity of continuous professional development stems from the obligation imposed by the Act about the profession of nurses and midwives, Code of professional ethics, but also from the need to keep up with the constantly changing medical sciences. Aim. The aim of the study was to analyze specialization courses held by nurses and midwives in the region of Koszalin, conducted within the framework of postgraduate training and to demonstrate whether the profession of nurse or midwife, seniority, place of residence, education and the workplace affected the number of specialization courses completed. Material and methods. The study group was constituted of 153 nurses and 17 midwives registered in the District Chamber of Nurses and Midwives in Koszalin, who participated in postgraduate training. For the research we a used diagnostic survey method with the questionnaire technique. The research tool was a self-designed questionnaire containing 27 questions. The anonymous survey was analyzed descriptively, graphically and statistically. Results. As a result of the research the following was concluded: 1. Nearly all the respondents had completed specialization courses. It shows high awareness of improving qualifications necessary to perform specific professional activities. 2. Most often the respondents completed a specialization training course ‘Performing and Interpretation of ECG’, then ‘Cardiopulmonary resuscitation’ and ‘Protective vaccination’. 3. Place of work significantly influenced the number of completed specialization courses by the nurses and midwives. Other analyzed variables: seniority, education, structure of the profession and place of residence had no such effects.

Key words: postgraduate training, nurses, midwives.