Global standards for the initial education of professional nurses and midwives

The great variation in the levels of initial education for professional nurses and midwives around the world can no longer be neglected, and the need for global standards in this area is increasingly voiced. This document describes the context and process followed in developing global standards for midwifery education, and presents the standards with their respective goals.

The paper underlines that implementation of the standards will assure appropriate placement of nurses and midwives in health-care roles. However, working globally towards university-level education for professional nurses and midwives will require country-specific strategies that take into account national/regional factors.

The document illustrates that five key areas for global standards have been identified. These include: programme graduates; programme development and revision; programme curriculum; academic faculty and staff; and programme admission.

The document recommends that the global standards be piloted, frequently reviewed, evaluated and revised on the basis of user feedback.