What Preceptors Are Saying: One State's Perspective

Nursing education and practice stand today at the intersection of a set of powerful forces. The first set of forces arises from the threat of an impending workforce shortage as the baby boomer generation ages, coupled with severe limitations of nursing programs to educate new nurses. The other set of forces arises from the growing public and legislative concerns about increasing access to healthcare services, improving the quality of healthcare, and enhancing patient safety. These demands span the delivery of nursing care across the continuum of care settings. In the face of these pressures, the question of how to more effectively educate and prepare the nurse of the future becomes vitally important and must integrate the concerns of both educational settings and the environments of nursing practice.