Educational priorities for the future of nursing: Recommendations of healthcare reform leaders and nurse educator

After almost 100 years, healthcare reform legislation was signed into law on March 23, 2010 by President Barack Obama. This legislation provides sweeping changes to America's failing healthcare system and presents many challenges and opportunities for nursing education. Nursing education is hampered by multiple challenges including a nursing faculty shortage, limited clinical experience sites, and pressures to increase enrollment. Nursing education must overcome these challenges and change curriculum to prepare students to practice nursing in a new way. This study utilizes the perception transformation theoretical framework to promote a greater awareness in nursing education leaders in order to create urgency for change. The supporting theory of transformational leadership provides the conceptual framework necessary to implement changes in nursing education and healthcare organizations.;This study utilized a modified Delphi method to query experts in the field of nursing education and healthcare reform in order to understand which healthcare trends will have the greatest impact on nursing practice, the priorities for nursing education, the barriers experienced by nurse educators in their attempts to meet the demand for healthcare reform and the key competencies new graduate nurses will need to practice in this environment. This research informs nursing education transformation. Moreover, it identifies areas in which there is dissensus between healthcare reform and nursing education leaders which may inform collaboration efforts. Looking ahead 10 years, these frontline experts identified healthcare trends that they predict will have impact on nursing education and practice. The panel identified barriers that they anticipate nursing education will need to overcome in order to integrate innovations in nursing education. They used their professional experience to identify high priorities that nursing education should focus on to prepare nurse graduates to succeed in the changing healthcare environment. Finally, the expert panel identified key competencies that they believe will be essential to practice nursing in an environment of healthcare reform. The expert panel provides 69 recommendations in these four areas complete with priority rankings.