Letters to the Editor
Irene Bowen
PP: 022 - 022
Article Text
Dear Editor,
Firstly, let me congratulate you and members of the editorial team on the excellent quality of the materials which have appeared in the first two editions of Contemporary Nurse. I am sure that the journal will be successful and, with the support of the profession, will continue to grow from strength to strength far into the future.
Secondly, I wish to comment upon the value of Professor Susan French's article which appeared in the September issue, as a source of information for nursing students. The article is a reflection of Professor French's long involvement with nursing and nursing education, particularly in North America. Her international perspective on the issues which confront the profession is further complemented by involvement with nursing in Pakistan and by her recent visit to Australia.
The value of the article for preregistration nursing students lies in its comprehensive nature, in that it provides for the reader an overview of the complexity of the relationships which exist between nursing education, the emergence of nursing as a profession and as a discipline in its own right. In addition, the article touches upon more pragmatic issues such as the use of human resources and the role of unions. The major focus of the article is, however, the transfer of education to the higher education sector and university education for nurses in Australia and Canada, and the implications that this has for faculty and for curriculum development.
I believe that Professor French's paper should be essential reading for beginning students of nursing in order to enhance their understanding of the current status of the profession and to increase their awareness of international nursing education. It should also bring to their notice that the stance taken by the profession in Australia in transferring nursing education in its entirety to the higher education sector, is being viewed with great interest by the international nursing community and that they, the students, are key players in the evolution of nursing. In Susan French's words 'the eyes of the world are upon you'.
eContent Home
