A survey of 83 nursing and midwifery education institutions in Britain collected information regarding assessment of prior learning (APL), i.e., certificated learning, and assessment of prior experiential learning (APEL), i.e., noncertificated learning. Follow-up interviews took place in 10 institutions. All nursing and midwifery education institutions offered APL, and 95 percent offered APEL. Specific credit was commonly used. Within individual higher education institutions (HEIs), APL/APEL assessment strategies were as reliable and valid as regular academic assessment strategies and usually similar in process. A range of assessment methods was used, although portfolios were preferred. Teaching staff often had difficulty fitting a professional and practice-based model of education into a pure academic model of APL/APEL. One model being used appeared to be halfway between APL and APEL as it incorporated past formal learning and subsequent professional practice. Students seemed satisfied with their APL/APEL outcomes, although the systems and processes were complex and not always clear. Staff ensured that credit was "earned" and academic rigor maintained. Internal consistency of individual APL/APEL systems was high, mainly due to relatively tight controls enforced by coordinators. Credit transfer was difficult. Resource issues were raised continuously. No single, complete model of good practice was found. (A separate volume of appendices includes a glossary, instruments, results, and 10 institutional case studies.) (YLB)