Contract learning in a clinical context: report of a case study

Contract learning as a method of learning has created considerable interest in recent years. The author first discusses contract learning briefly, and reviews the literature, particularly with reference to contracts in nurse education in both the UK and USA; its application in the clinical area in the UK receives specific attention. Secondly the author discusses, the establishment, compilation and enactment of a learning contract with a student nurse within the author's workplace followed by a critical analysis and evaluation of the contract.