A new 'starter' course for qualified nurses entering higher education
is discussed in this article, The background and aims of this course,
which enables traditionally trained nurses to enter a pathway of profe
ssional and academic development, are presented, Learning outcomes of
the course, identified through a formal evaluation procedure, were cat
egorized into product and process components. Course teachers anticipa
ted that the product outcomes would be evaluated most highly but the p
articipants reported that the process outcomes were more important to
them, They believed these process outcomes would empower them not only
to undertake further academic studies but also to take a greater part
in clinical decision-making. The results of this evaluation demonstra
te that for many nurses, who seek to launch themselves into higher edu
cation, a 'bridging' programme is necessary to support this transition
.