PURPOSE
This study was done to establish a clinical ladder system for nurses in a small and medium-sized hospital in Korea.
METHODS
The study was carried from July, 2016 to May, 2018. Data collection was done in a general hospital with 250 beds located in Gyeonggi Province. The clinical ladder system was developed and operated according to the value system of small and medium-sized hospital. Focus group interviews and a satisfaction survey were conducted for evaluation. Collected quantitative data were analyzed using the SPSS/WIN 22.0 program and qualitative data underwent content analysis.
RESULTS
The clinical ladder system is a 5-step ladder that includes 3 domains, 5 nursing competencies and 25 nursing behavioral indicators related to core values of the hospital. The operating system were promotion review system, education system and support/reward system. After conducting a pilot clinical ladder system, satisfaction of nurses was 2.86, out of a possible 4. Nurses who participated in the clinical ladder system experienced improvement in motivation, job performance, self-esteem, professionalism, recognition and were able to develop a goal in their minds.
CONCLUSION
The results indicate that the clinical ladder system can be used as a strategy for professional development for nurses in small and medium-sized hospitals.

Citations

• Training Priority for Managerial Competence of Nurse Managers in Small and Medium-Sized Hospitals: Focusing on the Management Level
  MunHee Jun, Wonjung Noh
  SAGE Open Nursing.2023;[Epub]     CrossRef
• Nurses' perceptions of career ladder systems, job satisfaction and turnover intention: A cross‐sectional study
  Young Seon Ahn, Jeong Sil Choi
  Nursing Open.2023; 10(1): 195.     CrossRef