<p>THE PROJECT 2000 initiative led to a number of radical changes in the educational preregistration programmes. Nurses now qualify with a higher education diploma in one of four branches, namely: adult; mental health; child; and learning disability. Since its introduction there has been much debate about the suitability of a generic common foundation programme (CFP) for all branches. Particular concerns have been expressed about the tendency for the CFP to be too adult orientated and there are calls for it to be shortened to 12 months (Jowett 1995).</p>