This paper presents our initial views on the role of the future registered nurse and nursing education in light of the NMC’s current review of the standards for pre-registration nursing education. It calls for a stronger focus in future education standards on equipping the registered nurse to be able to respond to the demands of a contemporary 21st century society. This will include areas such as an increasing emphasis on promoting health and wellbeing, supporting self-management and self-care, research, and the flexibility to care for the whole person across the human lifespan (whether physical, mental or learning disability-related).
The NMC is currently drafting new standards for pre-registration nursing, and will consult on the changes between April and June 2017. It is anticipated that the final standards will be published in Spring 2018. There will be an option for early adopters to implement the new standards from September 2018, and it is expected they will be adopted by all institutions from September 2019.
