Looking Back to the Future: Current Issues Facing Nursing Education From the Reflections of a Member of the Silent Generation.

PROBLEM: As a member of the Silent Generation, the author, through her lived experiences, reflects upon the successes and challenges facing nursing education in the mid-20th to 21st centuries.

METHOD: The author looks "back to the future" and reviews current issues that surround four key nursing education milestones.

FINDINGS: From the early entry-level baccalaureate programs in the 1950s to the current growth of the Doctor of Nursing Practice as entry into advanced practice, milestones in nursing education are linked to the cultural changes and healthcare system demands that took place at the time and their influence on nursing education and the profession.

CONCLUSION: Looking to the future, the author speaks of the implications from the forecasted changes in the healthcare system that will demand interdisciplinary education and practice and the continued need for nursing research to increase the body of scientific knowledge in practice, education, and technology. Keating.