Educating nurses: A call for radical transformation

Benner, P., Sutphen, M., Leonard, V. therefore, they are applicable to education outside of the USA, as well. What the authors propose is a paradigm shift in nursing education – shifting from catalogued knowledge to situated and live knowledge in dynamic clinical situations, shifting from a separation to an integration of classroom and clinical teaching, and shifting from critical thinking to clinical reasoning – as well as a new direction in terms of the formation of a professional identity as a nurse. In order to make these shifts happen, nurse educators and institutes of education have to be creative and reflect on their education at both the micro and macro levels. We need to look into individual teacher–student interactions, as well as curricula and programs in order to find the pitfalls and strengths in current teaching. The paradigm cases that are presented in chapters two-to-four are the strengths that the authors found in current nursing education. As a nurse educator, it was very exciting to read vivid delineations of how other instructors teach (chapters two-to-four). Faculty members in a college of nursing are frequently busy and often work in isolation. Seldom do they have an opportunity to see or know how other instructors teach. Three paradigm cases and some exemplars that are presented in this book are inspiring and challenged me to rethink the organization of my own teaching. In the college of nursing where I currently work, the faculty members who read this book developed a forum in order to have open conversations to learn from each other and to discuss how to integrate the ideas into the curriculum and to make the shifts described earlier happen in our school. During the last few years, nursing professionals have been gaining momentum in being recognized in society and taking a more central role in providing quality health care in the USA. A recent report by Institute of Medicine (2011) (another must-read reference for nursing leaders) is a great example highlighting the increasing attention on, and expectations about, nurses in society. In order to respond to these expectations, nurse educators need to foster strong and competent nurses who can make changes in health care. Educating nurses is a fundamental step in creating a bright and strong future for nursing and a healthier society. This book is a wake-up call for nurse educators to reflect on what we currently do well, what is not working or what has room for improvement, and how to make the radical transformation happen that is necessary for a better future in nursing and society.