The educational preparation: of nurses in Ireland

The history and evolution of nurse education in Ireland has been similar to that of other countries. Initially conducted under the apprenticeship model established by Nightingale, it continued under this model for more than a century because the educational needs of nurses were seen as subordinate to the needs of the health service. The necessity for reform in nursing education was identified in a number of Irish government policy documents. One of the strongest arguments put forward for the future educational preparation of nurses stemmed from the Report of the Commission on Nursing in 1998. The recommendations of the report, implemented with the launch of the preregistration nursing degree program in 2002, set the stage for a new era in the education of nurses.