The seminar programme took shape from from the objectives drawn up and agreed by the steering committee. The objectives were a study of the re-alignment of roles involving, among other things, interaction between nurses and physicians and other professions, and the advancement of nurses, either in institutional or organisational management, or in clinical expertise, to produce the nurse specialist. The study included : the changing role of the nurse (in primary care; in clinical specialisation; as a therapist; arising from technical and scientific advances; in the management of institutions and service; the implications for relationships with other professional groups in each of these situations); the relationship between nursing education and nursing service - safeguarding educational freedom but ensuring relevance to service needs and commitment to the ethos of professional service.