Environmental scanning: a strategy for the future

The rapidity of change confronting nursing at all levels will continue to challenge nursing's ultimate capacity to adapt and remain a viable profession in the 21st century. The process of meeting the challenges can be proactive based on assessment of needs and available resources, or reactive based on the reaction to challenges. A strategy identified by the authors that can be used at all levels of nursing practice, administration, education, and research is environmental scanning. This methodology has been used effectively in other disciplines for strategic, long-term planning and can be readily adapted to a wide variety of nursing service, academic, or professional associations.