Raziskovanje lastne prakse kot dejavnik profesionalnega razvoja babic in medicinskih sester

The paper presents characteristics and benefits of action research and research activities in general in the context of professional development of midwives and nurses. The study is based on empirical survey research approach and quantitative methodology. Data was collected by a questionnaire and processed by employing descriptive statistics; the statistically significant differences were determined by ÷2 test. Results reveal that more than half of the respondents do not possess any experience in researching their own work practice. Both midwives and nurses singled out the lack of training in different types of research – which could resolve the problems of their own working practices – as the main obstacle to their professional development. The results, especially those obtained from midwives, suggest that a more intensive participation of future employers during educational process would be highly beneficial. This would allow future nurses and midwives to obtain much needed work and research experience already during their studies. The findings of the paper’s research contributed to increased awareness regarding the importance of action research and research in general during educational process and other programs that offer education for health professionals