Rethinking Scholarship In Nurse Education

Abstract

The nursing profession is undergoing significant change. The most apparent being: the recent progress to an all-graduate profession; the continued reforms following the findings of the Francis Report (2013) and the sustained restructuring of the health service that seeks to effectively manage the increasing demands placed upon it (NHS 2014).

Educational programmes in nursing have developed curriculum that places self- determined learning at the heart of professional practice. This heutagogical approach extols the value of reflective practitioners that empower the development of evidence based practice. Throughout this process students are supported by scholarly mentors.

In light of the significant changes and the continued challenges to nurse education this paper will seek to critically analyse the seminal work of Boyer, (1990) in which he sought to challenge the out-moded ideology of scholarship and propose a more enlightened contemporary framework, which all academics can utilise in order to encourage a more dynamic, systematic approach to learning.