Are nursing degree curricula meeting students’ learning needs?

Critics of the NMC’s 2018 education standards say field-specific learning has been edged out by generic courses, but advocates praise new emphasis on innovation

It is five years since the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) overhauled its nurse education standards. The publication of Future nurse: standards of proficiency for registered nurses was meant to herald a new dawn for the profession. But have they had the intended impact – and unintended consequences?

How NMC Future Nurse standards changed nursing degrees

The NMC published the standards in May 2018 , setting out the knowledge and skills that must be demonstrated to become a registered nurse.

The standards created a generic set of proficiencies designed