PROGRAMS in continuing nursing education, relatively new in evolvement, are usually carried on in a university setting but may be sponsored by nursing organizations in cooperation with health-oriented groups. The programs, individually varying in scope and focus, nevertheless have a foundation in common nursing principles and practices. Planned to meet the needs of specific nursing groups—hospital head nurses or teachers of nursing, for example—the programs communicate to the nursing profession new concepts resulting from research in many fields. A basic administrative staff is necessary for pre-conference planning and for expediting program needs and evaluating results. Field visits to participating institutions for program appraisal have been found helpful. The staff for the continuing nursing education program is usually assembled from more than one department in the university and often from more than one university. Participants devote full time to the program, exchanging ideas with other nurses who come from a variety