Transformation of nursing education: the experience of Bahrain.

Nursing and midwifery education has developed significantly in Bahrain, and in particular the transformation that took place with the establishment of the College of Health Sciences in 1976. The institution played a pioneering role in national health professions education and meeting national and regional needs for nurses and midwives. This review aims to examine those strategies that enabled transformation of nursing education and the integration of contemporary nursing education models. Key to the transformation was development of a system of a competency based, student-centred educational programme; introduction of a balance between nursing's health-related and curative functions in the curriculum that broadened the scope of nursing's role; faculty development; active collaboration between education and nursing services in curriculum planning and implementation; and initiatives implemented to fund nursing education and to ensure the quality of the programmes. In 1984, only 15% of posts requiring a minimum registered nurse qualification were filled by Bahrainis. However, the rate of national nurses in the workforce has increased steadily, and today Bahrainis constitute 62% of the nursing workforce in the country. Thus, transformation of nursing education has been the pillar for shaping the nursing profession.