We live in a changing and complex world, which is about to become even more so as we become more standards-focused and driven by attaining documented quality levels throughout our working lives. Many of the different initiatives affecting our profession at the moment are standards-orientated. Some are being led by the Institute of Medical Illustrators, while others have a wider, national focus and are linked with the Government's Making the Change proposals. This paper attempts to clarify a rather confusing situation and demonstrate how the various initiatives will eventually link together to underpin the structure of medical illustration and healthcare science in the future.