Over the last decade nurse educators have been subjected to two of the most fundamental changes in nurse education this century. These changes included the introduction of the United Kingdom Central Council for Nursing, Midwifery and Health Visiting reforms (UKCC 1986) and the subsequent transfer of nurse education provision into higher education institutions. The purpose of this study was to explore and evaluate the process as viewed by nurse educators. A case study approach was adopted involving in-depth interviews with staff in order to address the following questions: 1. What are the nurse educators views of the merger with higher education institutions, particularly in relation to:- - Terms and Conditions of service? - Roles and Responsibilities? - Links with Clinical Practice? 2. Are these views consistent both internally within institutions of a given type and across the sector? (that is, views of staff in 'old' and 'modern' universities and colleges of higher education) 3. If they are not consistent, what determines these views. For example are they Influenced by subject specialism, career pathways, professional identity or external influences? The challenge in this study was to explore and identify the most pertinent issues for staff. An ethnographic approach was used for data collection. This involved undertaking in-depth interviews with staff in two institutions. Data were then analysed using a grounded theory framework for analysing and coding. From the verbal exposition of the respondents, eleven concepts were identified that served to explicate the pertinent issues for staff. These were subsequently subsumed into the four larger categories of: The Process of Transition'; 'Working Life in Higher Education'; 'Professional Practice in a Higher Education Context;' and 'Higher Education Culture;'. These categories served to explain the trajectory experienced by staff. Finally, three types of responses were identified from the data and these are compared with key literature on change theory.