[Educational curriculum and occupational status of nurses and midwives after second level degree (MNsc) at Catholic University of Rome].

Our society requires health professionals of increasingly competence, able to modulate their skills according to the needs and the requirements of the context. This survey (cross - sectional) has as primary aim to collect information on employment status of individuals who have a Master degree in Nursing and Midwifery, and as secondary objective to describe if and how the post graduation education has affected the quality and the outcomes of nursing work. A questionnaire devised for the purpose has been used. The survey was conducted from May to August 2011 on all individuals who have a Master in Nursing and Midwifery at the UCSC (from 2004-2005 to 2009-2010). Results show that in 44 cases out of 111 (= 40%) there was a change of employment status after obtaining the Master's Degree and of these 68% (30 out of 44) state that the change is definitely linked to the Post graduation education. All respondents state that the University curriculum has certainly helped to modify some professional behaviors: research utilization (93%), skills in problem solving at work (68%); greater ease to communicate the reasons underlying their organizational choices or decision making (70%); self-training abilities (63%). Within the Italian context, however it seems that those individuals are involved in a managerial progression of their career rather than in the core nursing activities despite the fact that educational programs have important subjects for Advanced Nursing Practice and Nursing Science.