Transformative teaching in nursing education: preparing for the possible

In these fractured and unsettling times, it is tempting to see nursing as a profession in crumbles. Many nurses are vocalising to media and to each other that they are overworked, underpaid, undervalued and intending to leave the system. Now more than ever, leaders, thinkers and change agents must organise themselves to restore life and vitality to the profession. Nursing educators are cornerstones in this restoration work, yet we too can at times feel overwhelmed and helpless to find engaging approaches to teaching nursing. This is the first of two papers, which argue that critical education is an illuminating philosophy for nursing. It can restore optimism and provide clear directions to assist neophytes and lifelong learners in nursing to become more self-confident, self-determining, optimistic, resistant and change oriented. In this article, the context for learning is considered, exploring transformative teaching as one choice among several learning models. The article offers strategies nurses may use to prepare a fertile ground for learning wherever that may be located.