The undergraduate education of nurses: looking to the future.

Societal change historically has presented many challenges for nursing. The challenge to nurse educators is to ensure that professional education remains relevant and keeps abreast of both societal and healthcare changes. These challenges include globalization, changing patient characteristics, science and information technology advancements, the increasing complexities of healthcare, and recent policy and economic developments. The aim of this paper is to consider possible future societal and healthcare changes and how these may impact the preparation of future graduates in general nursing. A clear understanding of these factors is essential if nursing is to meet the challenges presented by tomorrow's healthcare environment within a global context.