Re-appraising nurse education

The history of nurse education is one of conflicting claims regarding what it is a nurse needs to know. Perceived deficiencies in standards of nursing care whether in the past or present, have often been attributed by medical doctors, those responsible for policy at governmental level, the media and the general public, as resulting from either a deficiency or perhaps, too great a proportion of, 'theoretical', 'practical' and, 'moral and spiritual' knowledge in nurse training curricula. This thesis is concerned with tracing the history of the debate through examining the evolution of nurse education policies and the discussions which have shaped them. The analysis is carried out within a framework constructed using all three 'types' of knowledge, which are later analysed to determine what they might mean particularly in respect of nursing practice. As part of the assessment of the merit of the arguments regarding the weight to be given to these forms of knowledge in nurse education, the issue of what a contemporary nurse might be and therefore need to know is also addressed.
Finally, and despite an initial tacit acceptance of
the existence of these distinct 'types' of knowledge, this thesis raises questions about whether knowledge can be divided in this way. It argues that to do so is, at best, unhelpful and constraining in the designing of curricula for the education of nurses - indeed at worst,
it is divisive of the profession and its educators and may have negative implications for the welfare of patients.