Professional development in nursing: a university Co-operative Education system in Spain

Although several reforms have been implemented in recent years, the professionalization of university in Spain is often questioned in international expertise reports. However, in this same context, nursing training is characterized by a long tradition of cooperation with the professional world, practice-oriented curricula, and openness towards a form of Co-operative Education training. Basing our analysis of the principle of a distinction between an offer of training and its actual uses, we wondered about the effects of these methods on the professional development of student nurses. Based on a collaborative study conducted in Spain in a faculty of nursing sciences, we highlighted the professionalizing dynamics induced by a system. Beyond the influence of contextual variables, these conjectures shed light on perceptions about Co-operative Education programs.