CONTEMPORARY NURSING EDUCATION: CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES

Abstract

Nursing has evolved significantly in recent decades and continues to develop in new many directions. Like knowledge in other fields, the knowledge underpinning nursing changes rapidly. With this comes new technologies to assist in the provision of health care which nurses need to be able to utilise effectively. Increasing focus on patient safety and quality, along with better informed consumers, means that nurses must be increasingly knowledgeable and accountable and use evidence to support their practice, as well as generate knowledge to inform nursing practice. They must have the skills to participate effectively within the interprofessional team. Issues such as globalisation of the workforce and generational change further pose new challenges in maintaining a responsive and well educated workforce. This presentation will explore these issues in the context of the need for providing contemporary nursing education in order to meet the changing health care environment and ensure optimal patient and community health outcomes. It will also introduce some of the emerging educational models in response to such changes.