Reforming nursing education for future practice

Health care reform, regardless of the specific proposal ultimately accepted, calls for changes in baccalaureate nursing education to prepare students for community-based practice. These changes include a shift toward the community as the primary setting for clinical practice; greater emphasis in the curriculum and more extensive clinical experiences in health promotion and prevention of illness; integration of primary health care within different levels of the curriculum; more interdisciplinary experiences in the delivery of care; expanded knowledge and skills for care of mothers, children, the aged, and critically ill patients in varied settings; and the reexamination of teaching strategies for preparing students with these expanded competencies. As nursing faculty consider the impact of health care reform, they are called upon to reexamine the curriculum and clinical experiences provided within their programs to prepare students for practice in community-based systems.