Back to the future: learning from the past to prepare competent nurse leaders for the future. Interview by Franklin...

If today's need for highly competent nurse leaders is urgent, and there seems to be no controversy about this fact, what will be the need in the next few years? And what will ensure the availability of these highly competent persons? Between the opportunities offered by the Accountable Care Act, and the IOM Report on the Future of Nursing's recommendations, the consensus is that the need will be great. This is not a new concern: During the 1960s, the pendulum in graduate education in nursing swung from functional preparation in teaching, supervision, and administration to clinical specialization. While the change was a logical one, inadequate consideration was given to the preparation of people who would fill these roles in the real world. Consequently, Boston University School of Nursing held an invitational conference in 1978 to respond to the call for preparation of competent nursing leaders. The author interviews some of the leaders who attended and/or presented at this conference to see just how much we could learn for the past to apply today.