The virtues of the virtual world. Enhancing the technology/knowledge professional interface for life-long learning

Nurses are quintessential learners. Nested between the fields of science and technology, the professional mandate for life-long learning has never been greater. The expanding demands for performance and quality coupled with the reality of diminishing time and resources increasingly frustrate and challenge providers in the field. By blending the best of current training and education with the emerging potential of virtual learning, new models for enhancing clinical reasoning and performance will simplify the challenges of complexity, moving it to higher order. In this transition lies the key to restoring the joy and commitment of professional practice while enhancing the capacity to care with competence.