The changes in the role of the nurse teacher following the formation of links with higher education

A national study was conducted in England over a three-year period (1991-1994) to explore the changing role of the nurse teacher. The study used multiple methods of data collection, including a modified Delphi survey and a series of telephone interviews. A wide variety of respondents (nurse teachers, midwife teachers, clinical nurses;health service managers and higher education lecturers) were included in the sample. This paper presents findings relating to the changes in the role of the nurse teacher following the formation of links with higher education. Some of the issues discussed include the difficulties related to academic status and the relationships between nurse teachers and other lecturers in higher education, changes in teaching styles and the place of student nurses within higher education. The implications for nurse teachers which stem from a closer association with higher education are explored.