Higher education: the coping stone of nursing education?

For many years the nursing profession in the United Kingdom has sought ways of improving the education of nurses. The present article explores some of the issues surrounding the recent proposals for an alternative to the long‐standing apprenticeship system, namely that of moving basic nurse education into institutions of higher education. In particular, it focuses upon and explores the views of clinical nurse teachers and nurse tutors. In order to provide an historical context, the article begins by outlining the history of nurse education over the last century with reference to the various reports that have been published throughout the period. Before discussing the results of a questionnaire completed by those currently involved in the training and education of nurses, the article also considers the experience of other countries where collegiate education for nurses has been introduced.