Nursing education in the private sector

With perhaps some minor variations, it can be claimed that colleges/schools of nursing have viewed their raison d'être as providing education for pre-registration students of nursing. The particular philosophy of the college would determine whether or not in-service education and post basic courses figured highly as educational priorities. Whether pre- or post-registration, colleges have been their remit almost entirely within statutory frameworks. With the advent of Project 2000 many schools/colleges amalgamated in order to provide multiple branches of nurse education. However, anticipated numbers of entrants to nursing have not always materialized and we are now led to believe that revised staffing ratios will result in decreasing numbers of qualified nursing staff. Faced with decreased numbers of recruits to nursing, colleges of nursing can undergo even larger amalgamations or look elsewhere for some of their business. While nurse education should always be the central focus of colleges of nursing, the time has now come when we must sell our wares in a much wider marketplace. Consideration should be given to mounting multi-disciplinary courses within the health professions and to providing skills to other professions. Short courses, for instance on child abuse, could be provided for teachers in primary and secondary education. While recognizing a vast range of potential customers, this paper confines itself to education within the private sector.