Global licensure. New modalities of treatment and care require the development of new structures and systems to access care.

As healthcare continues to be impacted by unrelenting external forces that are transforming the healthcare system and the practice of nursing, attention must be paid to the impact of electronic technologies in shaping professional practice, regulation, the national interstate practice model, and the global marketplace. Emerging innovations in practice and education will challenge existing laws and regulations. Maintaining open communication among major stakeholders and working collaboratively to shape a preferred future will enhance practice and meet consumer expectations. An analysis of the challenges to the scope of practice in the global marketplace is explored. Medicine of the future will not be based on blood and guts, but on bits and bytes (Pfizer J. 2001;5(2):20-25).