Over the past decade of nursing shortage crisis in Thailand, only Sukhothai Thammathirat Open University (STOU), a public university, has provided a distance learning program to promote graduate nurses who wish to work and study concurrently. It, however, is still doubtful whether or not STOU graduate nurses identity suits the 21 st century nursing criteria. The purpose of this mixed method research were: 1) to study identity of graduates from the Master of Nursing Science Program in Nursing Administration at STOU, and 2) to explore potential guidelines for the distance learning curriculum development in the Master of Nursing Science Program in the 21st century. The sample comprised of: (1) 268 graduate nurses from the program during academic year 2007-2014, 132 co-workers, and 130 supervisors, and (2) 15 representatives of the aforementioned groups, and (3) 13 academic experts. The research tool was a questionnaire relating to 7 identity characteristics of master graduates. Data analysis included descriptive statistics, T-Test, and contents analysis. The research results are as follows. 1) The graduate nurses' identity is being self-directed learning, applying knowledge into work development, using PUPIL: International Journal of Teaching, Education and Learning ISSN 2457-0648 Available Online at: http://grdspublishing.org/ 21 information and communication technology (ICT) in nursing administration to improve wellbeing of the people. 2) To add the course contents intended to improve communication competency, particularly English, in the areas of listening, reading, writing and speaking regarding innovation and technology for research in nursing administration. Up to this point, the identity characteristics appropriately serve to graduate characteristics in the 21st century.To strengthen international competency of nurses, it is therefore necessary to include more English courses in the distance learning curriculum.

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The changing health system in Thailand has provided Thai people with more equitable opportunities in accessing health care services. As a result of medical practitioner shortages and a strong desire for nurses to expand their scope of practice, the Thailand Nursing and Midwifery Council (TNC) plans to increase the number of nurse practitioners at master degree level to staff primary care units (PCUs) and Health Centres around the country. Nursing master degree curricula in Thailand are currently offered using the traditional on-campus face-to-face mode of delivery and have low numbers of student enrolments. Furthermore, research indicates that many graduate nurses in Thailand are seeking entry to master degree curricula, but accessibility, convenience and availability of curricula locally are limiting enrolments. Nursing education globally is a dynamic and iterative process. Educational curricula are based on the principles of adult learning, continuing professional education and life-long learning, which advocate flexible and learner-oriented education. Flexible learning, which has the ability to closely match the professional and academic needs of the learner, has the potential to lead nursing education toward meeting the TNC policy and health system reform in Thailand. It is essential that nursing education in Thailand be revolutionised, embracing flexible delivery modes by traditional higher education providers. This paper presents a new model of health care service delivery and the mechanism used to integrate the principles of flexible learning into a new master degree curriculum for nurse practitioners (NPs) in Thailand.