Objectively toward curriculum improvement in nursing education in England and Wales

The General Nursing Council (G.N.C.) for England and Wales (circular 77/19/4) is currently influencing schools of nursing to use behavioural objectives, which means immediate implications for the basic training of nurses. As the majority of nurse teachers seek to influence their students' behaviour, there appears to be good grounds for stating clearly what it is they hope their students will achieve. Operationalizing objectives in realistic learning environments will rest on two fundamental assumptions. First, there must be a clear foundation of integrated theory and practice. Secondly, nurse teachers must be using objectives in the light of clear understanding of objective approaches which are based in a conceptual framework of curriculum theory.