RCN Wales Launches New Nurse Education Strategy

The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) Wales launched a new nursing education strategy called “The Future of Nursing Education in Wales: Education Strategy 2016”, saying the next generation of nurses needs an education that will give them the intellectual skills of problem-solving, clinical decision making, professional judgment, and research appraisal and application along with the essential clinical competencies, knowledge and attitudes.

The RNC says the Education Strategy addresses the educational needs of its current and future nursing workforce and sees it as a “key enabler for ensuring that appropriate education, training and preparation underpins nursing practice for the future.”

The strategy was developed within the nursing profession across Wales – the RCN hosted two health education summits that drew nurse leaders in health care and nurse education from across the country with a goal of developing an RCN Wales strategy related to the future of nurse education in Wales. The scope includes pre and post registration nurse education, advanced practice and healthcare support worker education.

The RCN is the largest professional body for qualified, registered nurses and nursing students with 430,000 members in the UK including 25,000 in Wales. It represents nurses and nursing, promotes excellence in practice and shapes health policy.