Reflections on undergraduate nursing education: a look to the future

The nursing shortage combined with a shortage of faculty have created new challenges for schools of nursing particularly at the undergraduate level. At a time when schools are attempting to increase student enrollment, there are fewer faculty available for teaching those students. Faculty are increasingly faced with more responsibilities and demands placed on them to prepare students with essential knowledge and skills for beginning practice. The purposes of this paper are to examine current challenges in undergraduate nursing education and some strategies for addressing them.