Perspectives: Nursing education: from vision to action in a changing world.

Abstract

There is consensus that there are shared contemporary issues within nursing and nurse education that require collective consideration and, on occasion, shared solutions. Nonetheless, in the complex world in which we live, taking time to reflect on our work can become lost in the need to meet many competing demands. A conference can be expensive and time consuming, and as time pressures and deadlines loom risk becoming a short trip to present a paper rather than fuller engagement. With this in mind, we offer perspectives on our learning from The Federation of European Nurse Educators (FINE) 11th International FINE Conference in Malta (21–23 February 2018) and some opportunities and challenges facing nursing education today. FINE is a membership organisation, which, since its inception in 1994, has facilitated knowledge exchange and discussion around contemporary challenges in nursing education. Attendees came from 22 nations and five continents to share best practice and educational research innovation. This paper offers insight into key themes that emerged from the conference and the opportunities, innovations and challenges facing nursing education today. We include examples of papers debating these themes. In conclusion, we reflect on our experiences and offer benefits of global networking nursing education.