Future-proofing nursing education: An Australian perspective

Abstract

The relevance of pre-registration programs of nursing education to current and emerging trends in healthcare and society could have a significant future impact on the nursing profession. In this article, we use a PESTEL (politics, economics, society, technology, environment, and law) framework to identify significant current and future priorities in Australian healthcare. Following the PESTEL analysis, we conduct a review of the curriculum content of current Australian undergraduate preregistration nursing curricula. The data were analyzed to determine how nursing curricula were aligned with the priorities identified in the PESTEL analysis. Findings suggest that preparation–practice gaps are evident in nursing curricula as the broad priorities identified were poorly reflected in undergraduate pre-registration programs. The study recommended (a) the establishment of a nationally consistent mechanism to identify current and emerging trends in healthcare and higher education, and (b) an evidence-based framework that enhances forward planning in the design of undergraduate pre-registration nursing curricula.