COD of Health – Pre-Spring Conference Dinner Survey
On Monday 18 May, Elsevier sponsored a Council of Deans of Health dinner at Woburn House, London, the evening before the Council’s Spring Conference – a flagship sector event bringing together around 150 senior leaders in UK nursing education.
The invitation-only dinner brought together a small group of leading healthcare academics from the Council’s member universities across the UK alongside the Council’s Chief Executive, Chair and Director of Policy and External Affairs, as well as representatives from Elsevier. The event provided Elsevier with an opportunity to engage directly with key sector figures and contribute to open, forward-looking discussion in an informal setting.
Before the evening began, guests were asked to share their top three concerns in nursing education that keep them up at night. At the dinner, David Game, Senior Vice President of Medical Education Partnerships at Elsevier, then delivered a focused 15-minute presentation exploring the key concerns expressed by guests.
Question: What are your top 3 concerns in nursing education today that keep you up at night?
From the responses, we identified five key themes:
1. Student Support – Wellbeing, Inclusivity & Placement
- Student wellbeing and mental health
- Financial hardship affecting nursing students
- Support for students from diverse backgrounds
- Inclusivity, academically and in placement
- Student preparedness for and support on clinical placements
2. Curriculum – Evolving for the Next Generation
- Inspiring nursing students in a volatile climate with research and innovation
- Managing a growing curriculum reflecting changing population needs
- Keeping courses viable amid changing professional standards
- Prioritizing health prevention initiatives
- Compassionate care delivery — ensuring it is not lost in the current climate
3. AI & Technology – Use in Education, Assessment & Care
- Using AI to strengthen assessment rigor
- Recognizing and managing AI use in assessments
- Challenging myths and misconceptions around AI
- Ensuring students are tech-informed
- Balancing simulation-based learning with real clinical experience
- AI applications in ethically appropriate healthcare delivery
4. Workforce – Recruitment, Careers & the Educator Pipeline
- Decline in applications to nursing programs
- The nurse education workforce and future workforce for health staff
- Role of the nurse educator — undervalued, salary deficit, career aspirations
- Engaging nursing students to become future nurse academics
- Graduate recruitment and employability
- Lack of strategic leadership from nurse leaders to drive workforce change
5. Government & Regulation – Priorities, Funding & Oversight
- Regulatory burden and expectations
- The NMC’s pace of changes
- Government direction and priorities – not always consulting the right stakeholders
- Funding for health education
- NHS Workforce Plan – the level of integration with social care to meet the 10-Year Plan
- Practice Learning Review – impact on the size and shape of provision
Thank you to the Council for hosting such a thoughtful and engaging dinner, bringing together nursing leaders, educators and healthcare academics to discuss these crucial topics in nursing education. We also extend our appreciation to all guests for their valuable insights and candid feedback, which helped shape a lively and forward-looking conversation.
For more insights from the event, please visit the Council’s website:
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