[Quality of nursing education--a review]

Nursing education in Germany is thoroughly characterised by heterogeneous structures and qualifications. Both compared to national and international standards, the education system appears to be very specific and not designed as a permeable qualification system. Additionally, until now quality assurance of nursing education is rarely developed. Where such efforts have been undertaken so far, they have mostly resulted from single initiatives and are based on quality assurance models originally developed for linear production and service processes. However, taking recent developments in vocational training and higher on European level into account, some new impulses for quality assurance and improvement can be expected with regard to German nursing education. A consistent European Qualifications Framework (EQF) is to be designed, which is determined by permeable education structures, transparent as well as comparable education programms and compatible credit point systems (Bologna Process, Copenhagen Process). This framework should be accompanied by a quality assurance system which primarily focuses on learning programms and outcomes. In the future, these changes forced by the EU Member States will influence the area of nursing education in Germany and will require quality assurance efforts which are accordingly structured and aimed.