This last link looks suspiciously like a word for word copy of a government press release.
PRIME Minister John Howard plans to overhaul nurse education with a $170 million plan to build 25 privately operated nursing schools in hospitals.
Federal Health Minister Tony Abbott says the courses will be centred on the older style hospital-based training system rather than university courses.
"One of the real problems with nurse training in recent years is too much of it has been in the classroom, not enough of it has been in hospitals," he said.
Lisa Fitzpatrick from the Victorian branch of the Australian Nursing Federation says her organisation has not been consulted about the plan.
"Nursing and the skills required for nursing has changed since the 1980s when we had hospital-based training," she said.
"The skills and expertise that is required by nurses, their assessment skills, their understanding and their work with other professions is much greater."
The trainee nurses will provide immediate relief to hospitals suffering severe staff shortages.
