ANA'S Definition of Nursing
Nursing is the protection, promotion, and optimization of health and abilities, prevention of illness and injury, alleviation of suffering through the diagnosis and treatment of human response, and advocacy in the care of individuals, families, communities, and populations.
(Nursing's Social Policy Statement, Second Edition, 2003, p. 6 & Nursing: Scope and Standards of Practice, 2004, p. 7)
In the first half of 2006, over 65,000 persons were newly licensed as registered nurses, joining 2.9 million other RNs in the nation’s largest health care profession.
Each followed a distinct path of education to become a registered nurse and, after obtaining the RN license, increased his or her expertise as a direct health care provider in work settings ranging from acute care hospitals to home and community centers to corporate work sites.
From the basic education required of an RN to the advanced educational and clinical paths taken by more experienced nurses, the depth and breadth of the nursing profession is meeting different health care needs of the population.