Sweeping changes currently taking place both in the higher education sector and in the health care sector have far reaching implications for professional preparation programs in the health sciences professions. Jumping on the ‘flexibililty bandwagon’ is a widespread response. Flexibility is not, however, well conceptualized for either educational or health care contexts. Consequently, a four dimensional conceptual framework is presented in this paper to assist understanding and then operationalizing flexibility. Implications for curriculum development and organizational change within the complex context of ‘flexible learning for a flexible society’ are addressed for preparation programs for the health sciences professions. This work is informed by the scoping and consultation phase of an Undergraduate Curriculum Reform Project at the University of Sydney’s Faculty of Health Sciences.