Introduction. Nurses are obliged by law to constantly update their knowledge and professional skills. Awareness of barriers to accessing training is necessary to provide favourable conditions for postgraduate education for nurses. The study aimed to analyse opinions and experiences of nurses concerning barriers to accessing professional skills improvement courses and trainings. Material and Methods. The study enrolled a total of 1244 nurses taking specialisation examinations organised by the Postgraduate Training Centre for Nurses and Midwives in Warsaw. The study was conducted during the fall examination session in 2014 using a diagnostic survey carried out via an original questionnaire comprising 7 questions with a five-point Likert scale concerning the assessment of barriers to accessing training. An additional part with sociodemographic data was also included in the questionnaire. Results. The higher the level of education of nurses, the more important were financial barriers to accessing training. A barrier arising from the distance between the place of training and the place of residence was recognised as having the largest impact by nurses providing home care for elderly and ill patients as part of their professional work. The significance of obligations related to the care of child/children or other persons constituted a more important barrier to accessing training for charge nurses than for departmental nurses (57.3 and 26.0%, respectively). Bad work environment and a lack of approval for persons developing their skills were identified as important barriers to accessing training significantly more often by charge nurses (64.0%) than by the remaining nurses. Conclusions. The adaptation of working environment and use of measures motivating and enhancing nurses to participate in trainings should take account of the needs of nurses. Therefore, there is a need for each individual assessment of needs and difficulties a nurse can encounter in accessing postgraduate training.

Key words: barriers, qualifications, nursing staff, education.