Klaipėdos universitetas

The professional development of health-care workers is a key prerequisite for professional success, and its effectiveness contributes to the quality of health-care services at any level of health-care institution. Health-care professionals face constant changes, as a challenge to adapt to the competitive environment around them. This makes it important to ensure that health-care workers have effective training to meet their professional development needs. Thus, the aim of this study is to analyse the theoretical assumptions of professional development, and to reveal the attitudes of health-care professionals towards the needs and specifics of professional development. The study has indicated that the professional development for health-care workers is result-oriented, yet of insufficient quality, with organisational, financial and other problems. It has been found that the planning and implementation of professional development for health-care professionals is subject to specific requirements. The combination of these requirements and the way they are evolving imply that the needs and specifics of health-care professionals in the field of professional development need to be addressed beyond doubt.

The significance and novelty of the paper is the fact that the study unveils the expression of positive emotionality in the work environment of health-care professionals, with a view to linking the phenomenon to other relevant social phenomena, such as job satisfaction and self-esteem. The article analyses the concept of positive emotionality, its significance, factors leading to the expression of positive emotionality, its relationship with activities performed with satisfaction, self-awareness and self-esteem, motivation, etc. The research shows that the expression of positive emotionality of health-care professionals increases their job satisfaction, as there is a direct correlation between the two. The expression of positive emotionality also has a beneficial impact on health-care professionals’ self-esteem. The research has verified that maturity, career success and self-esteem increase positive emotionality. Although job satisfaction among health-care professionals is moderate, the direct link between their job satisfaction and motivation shows that the more motivated the employees are, the more satisfied they are with their job, with the opportunity to work in their chosen profession, and with the performance of activities that reflect their abilities, skills and competences.

With the changing and expanding approach to the creation of a learning environment as one of the essential factors in the quality of the organisation of the learning process, the article reveals the links that underpin the importance of an andragogue’s general competencies for the development of a transformative learning environment. The relevance of the scientific problem is highlighted by the theoretical and empirical search for the general competencies of the andragogue, which creates favourable preconditions for the transformation of the learner’s empowerment personality. The participants in the research were employees of health-care institutions in various regions of Lithuania who have participated in in-service training events at the Centre for Continuing Studies of the Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities at Klaipėda University. The analysis of the need for health-care professionals due to the importance of an andragogue’s general competencies in creating a transformative learning environment has highlighted the direct impact of age on different needs. The results of the research show that an andragogue’s general competencies help to create a transformative learning environment, in which the totality of intellectual, emotional and practical dynamics enables the learner’s transformation, focusing on personal qualities, abilities, skills, attitudes and positive attitudes, and the development of a mindset for continuous improvement. Suggestions are provided to andragogues on how to streamline changes in adult learning that focus on personality change by creating a transformative learning environment.