Five final reports on the Nursing Curriculum Project of the Southern Regional Education Board are presented. The reports include (1) RN (Registered Nursing) Education: The Basic Issues; (2) Types of RN Programs; (3) Planning and Operating an RN Program; (4) Acclimating the Novice Nurse: Whose Responsibility? and (5) Statewide Planning for Nursing. A synopsis of SREB's Nursing Curriculum Project for 1972-1981 is provided, along with an outline on the characteristics and levels of nursing practice for primary and secondary care. Specific topics include the issues surrounding career mobility and educational opportunities for RNs and the current and future need for baccalaureate nurses. Six options for RN education are discussed: advanced standing in generic programs for baccalaureate students, "RN only" programs, outreach or satellite programs, competency-based education, independent study, and directly articulated programs. Effective planning and the operation of an RN program are covered, with attention to funding, the curriculum, challenge examinations, teaching strategies, and faculty. Additional topics include: the use of a modular, individualized learning system to help new graduates on the job, and results of demonstration projects in statewide planning for nursing education. (SW)