Take a journey from the past to the future of nursing with this free online course. Explore nursing’s impact on quality of life.

6,411 enrolled on this course

A nurse comforting a patient
  • Duration

    4 weeks
  • Weekly study

    3 hours

Health is the most important thing we have, and nurses are at the forefront of healthcare delivery in a rapidly changing world. This is a central message of this free online course, which takes you on a journey from the past to the future of nursing.

Explore nursing’s history and impact today

Over four weeks, we will consider how historical developments in the city of Liverpool continue to impact on nursing today. You will also consider and share how developments in your region have influenced nursing.

Our focus then moves to modern, innovative nursing, which has a direct impact on the quality of people’s lives in the UK. Next, we look at global nursing and how innovation in nursing is truly international.

The course finishes with glimpses into the future, to see how nursing can evolve, considering the ethical issues that will inform the responsible growth of our profession.

Join a global network of nursing professionals

The course is the first of its kind, offering a unique opportunity to become part of a global network of healthcare professionals. You will learn from and interact with like-minded individuals from around the world.

Led by educators from the School of Health Sciences at the University of Liverpool, the course features individual contributions from some of the UK’s leading nursing professionals, including:

  • Jane Cummings, Chief Nursing Officer for England
  • Andrea Spryropoulos, President of the Royal College of Nursing.

You can read more about the course in this blog post by lead educator, Denis Parkinson.

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Skip to 0 minutes and 6 seconds Everybody will, at some points in their lives, have contact with a nurse. Health is of interest to us all, and nurses are a large and influential part of worldwide health care delivery. If you have an interest in nursing, its impact, diversity, and contribution to quality of life, then this course is for you. My name is Dennis Parkinson, and I am a nurse. I teach nursing at the University of Liverpool, a city with a longstanding connection to the development of nursing and an ongoing commitment to the future of nursing. This course will take you on a journey from the past to the future of nursing.

Skip to 0 minutes and 42 seconds You will explore Liverpool’s historical connection to nursing, and also find out more about nursing where you and your fellow learners live. We can learn from the past to shape the future. You will find out about modern nursing and how the profession contributes to today’s world. There will be opportunities to explore varied aspects of the nursing profession through interact with leading nurses and experts in their field. The journey will then take you around the world as nursing as a global profession is explored. We will discuss the influence and experiences of nurses in a variety of global contexts, and there will be an opportunity to communicate with and interact with like-minded individuals with an interest in nursing from around the world.

Skip to 1 minute and 26 seconds This is a unique opportunity to learn from and with a global community. Our journey will then take us past the present day to explore the potential future of nursing. As health care technology develops and communication becomes easier, the future will bring change. Nurses will do more with more to improve health care. We will look at the benefits and challenges of these changes and debate the ethical issues involved. The course is about nursing and its place in the modern world. If you want to know more about nursing and how nurses care for people, then this course is an ideal opportunity for you.

Learning on this course

On every step of the course you can meet other learners, share your ideas and join in with active discussions in the comments.

Who is the course for?

All of us will interact with a nurse at some point in our lives, so this course is not only for nurses, but for anyone with an interest in healthcare, and its impact, diversity and contribution to quality of life.

Who will you learn with?

I work as a Lecturer in Nursing at the University of Liverpool. I am a registered adult nurse with a clinical background in adult cardiac nursing. Interests include technology and decision making.

Who developed the course?

University of Liverpool

The University of Liverpool is ranked in the top 1% of higher education institutions worldwide.

Learning on FutureLearn

Your learning, your rules

  • Courses are split into weeks, activities, and steps to help you keep track of your learning
  • Learn through a mix of bite-sized videos, long- and short-form articles, audio, and practical activities
  • Stay motivated by using the Progress page to keep track of your step completion and assessment scores

Join a global classroom

  • Experience the power of social learning, and get inspired by an international network of learners
  • Share ideas with your peers and course educators on every step of the course
  • Join the conversation by reading, @ing, liking, bookmarking, and replying to comments from others

Map your progress

  • As you work through the course, use notifications and the Progress page to guide your learning
  • Whenever you’re ready, mark each step as complete, you’re in control

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