The need for change in nurse education: a literature review

The implementation of the Project 2000 diploma course in 1989 meant that nurse education was moving rapidly from an apprenticeship system of preparation to an education led system in which students have student status. There is nothing new in the idea of student status for nurse learners; it had been suggested over 40 years before it actually came to fruition. This paper critically analyses the literature and looks at the reasons for the need for change in nurse education. An examination is made of the reasons why this change was not implemented earlier. The Project 2000 proposals are then explored with the benefit of hindsight, and the conclusion is reached that there is need for ongoing research to evaluate the impact of the course not that it is the established method of preparation for nurse learners.