A Brief History

Student nurse training has undergone many changes in the last decade since Project 2000 was introduced in the early 1990's. Prior to Project 2000, nursing and midwifery training was carried out within a school of nursing, that was based at the hospital where the nurses carried out their studies and practical ward work.

Once students qualified they became State Registered Nurses or Registered General Nurses and were registered with the United Kingdom Central Council for Nurses Midwives and Health Visitors (UKCC). (Since April 2002, the UKCC has been replaced by the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC))

A second shorter and more practical training concluded with the qualification of Enrolled Nurse.

However a push towards establishing nursing in a more professional light, meant a more academic approach to training was needed. This led to a move into higher education with nurses studying to diploma or degree level within a university setting. Enrolled nurse training stopped and schools of nursing could no longer be found within a hospital. Hospitals began to pay universities for the education and training of student nurses, who in turn would provide nurses who are academically sound and 'fit for practice'.

Where are we today?

The National Health Service in England alone employs 332,200 nurses, midwives and health visitors, three-quarters of whom are qualified.

We are currently looking at a very understaffed health service. Pre Project 2000, a large part of the ward workforce was made up of 1st, 2nd and 3rd year student nurses, who were on the ward rota and part of the ward team. With the introduction of project 2000, student nurses became just that, students. Most of their time was spent in study and a greatly reduced amount of time on ward work gaining practical experience. The government compensated for the reduction in the work force by increasing the number of health care assistants (non or semi-trained care staff).

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