Streamlining educational provision for cardiovascular nurses: A beginning not an end

Nurses represent the largest sector of the healthcare workforce with about six million of us in the World Health Organization (WHO) European Region alone, but although this workforce is significant, it is not predicted to be sufficient to meet future healthcare needs.1 The profession of nursing faces several important challenges around its workforce which are also relevant to cardiovascular care settings. First, how can we attract new recruits to the nursing profession? Second, how can we streamline the provision of nurse education across our region? Third, how can we provide colleagues with opportunities for continuing professional development (CPD) to support lifelong learning and enable nurses to work to their full potential? Access to graduate level and continuing education has something to offer in all of these scenarios and is the way forward to strengthen the identity of the nursing profession.