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For student nurses approaching qualification, the range of post-basic choices can be overwhelming. At this time nurses need comprehensive, systematic career guidance, yet it is rarely forthcoming. This article examines some of the reasons why such guidance is so neglected and makes some recommendations for the future.

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The nursing professions' R&D priority-setting Initiative was established to increase the involvement of nurses, midwives and health visitors in research and development activities in the UK. A first phase of work explored the feasibility of establishing a systematic and coordinated process for identifying priorities for R&D for the nursing professions. The second phase aims to build on the collaboration and cooperation achieved in phase one to establish a process and structure to promote a united professional voice for nursing on R&D (Scott et al., 1999). To this end, proposals were developed to establish a strategic alliance of the professional interests which would be known as the Strategic Alliance for Research in Nursing, Midwifery and Health Visiting. Part of the role of this alliance would be to lobby for funding for research activity in nursing. This paper sets out to investigate the involvement of nurses with the nursing research charities and looks at ways nurses could improve their chances of obtaining funding from such sources.

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The concept of managed care is emerging as a multidisciplinary approach to health care in the United Kingdom. It is implemented through an integrated care pathway (ICP) or care map which is created by the multidisciplinary team around a specific diagnostic group. The ICP consists of key interventions which can be evidence-based, incorporating clinical guidelines where appropriate. The aim of managed care is to improve quality of care while reducing length of stay, thus reducing costs. A pilot project was carried out in the neurosciences unit of a London teaching hospital over a six-month period. Lumbar disc surgery was chosen as the diagnostic group. Outcomes were better coordination of care and less variation in length of stay as well as improved communication and collaboration between the multi-professionals involved. Drawbacks were poor compliance by some clinicians and the time-consuming nature of creating the care map. Recommendations are that where ICPs are used this should be a single record replacing all other documentation.

Changes in nurse education have brought into focus the status of the student nurse in the operating department. This article outlines some of the historical perspectives of the role of student nurses undertaking their operating department experience and describes a new model for preparing students for this part of their preregistration education as piloted by one college of health studies after the implementation of Project 2000.

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