Definition of Nursing

Salam and Hi
Today, before I start writing I want to thank my daughter who helped me to create this blog. I still need her because if you see when I did it without her I lost what I am supposed to post (definition of Nursing was written almost a week ago, because she is not around to help me).  But I do need to learn handle my blog on my own because she is going to go away (she is accepted in Matric). Thank you Shakirah

Definition of nursing (by ICN (Updated April 2010)

1. Nursing encompasses autonomous and collaborative care of individuals of all ages, families, groups and communities, sick or well and in all settings. Nursing includes the promotion of health, prevention of illness, and the care of ill, disabled and dying people. Advocacy, promotion of a safe environment, research, participation in shaping health policy and in patient and health systems management, and education are also key nursing roles.

2. Nursing is a healthcare profession focused on the care of individuals, families, and communities so they may attain, maintain, or recover optimal health and quality of life from conception to death.


Based on the two definition it shows that nursing is a dynamic profession.  The second definition if you can guess it, is from Wikipedia, a cliche definition which many (use it) to make the profession as a profession of a helper or hand maiden.

Most (when I say most, it means internationally accepted) accept the first definition of nursing as the current and required role of nurses of today. If one look at the education or training, yes training is focus on nursing care which is the ultimate role of nurses, but to provide effective, efficient, safe, high quality and valued care nurses need to have all the criteria underline in the first definition. Without all those criteria the nurses will be a tool to other health care profession. A tools which are loved by those who uses them because any tool usually helps the user work easier and efficient. 

This is the example of definition one -"Nurses have experienced difficulty with the hierarchy in medicine that has resulted in an impression that nurses' primary purpose is to follow the direction of physicians (Radcliffe, Mark (2000). This tendency is certainly not observed in Nightingale's Notes on Nursing, where the physicians are mentioned relatively infrequently, and often in critical tones—particularly relating to bedside manner (Nightingale, Florence (1860)