The educational needs in a large hospital in the Venice region were analysed in order to plan continuing education programs for 2005-2006. The reference model was the analysis of the educational waiting lists in both operative and managerial professions. Two identical questionnaires were used: the first was distributed to all the professional staff of the hospital with university qualifications and asked them to give their opinion regarding educational priorities. The second was given to staff with managerial roles, asking them to indicate the educational priorities for the staff under their direction. Analysis of the data collected focused on : the priority given to the various areas and topics of education; differences of opinion identified between the various working environments between professional groups and between staff/managers; influence of social and personal factors on the opinions expressed. The fact that the fields of interest indicated varied according to the role and working activities of staff involved, indicate the need to offer educational procedures tailored to the requirements of each group.