In the health care field, there is ongoing debate on subjects such as health care reform, ethical dilemmas, and ideals regarding nursing as a profession. Those debating the issue are generally passionate about their stance on regarded topics. Some teeter or straddle the fence, while others have no opinion or just do not care. The view of nurses in the workforce has fueled discussions on how nursing is categorized in terms of perception: Is nursing an occupation or is it a profession? In the Oxford Dictionary (US) online (2014), the word profession is defined as “a paid occupation, especially one that involves prolonged training and formal qualifications.” A precise definition has been debated among scholars since the beginning of the 1900’s and was historically reserved for learned professions such as law, ministry, medicine and educators of higher learning (Williams, Onsman, & Brown, 2009). It is interesting to note, as society has changed, so has the term, profession, in its application. There are professions such as athletes or actors and actresses who have coined the term profession, which only serves to further distort the public’s perception and acceptance. This perceptual view varies across geographical, cultural and historical milieu. In an effort to understand nursing as a profession and where it may be in the future, one must return to its very beginning. Regardless of the blurred edges, the criteria of a profession have evolved from a learned work driven by altruism, to legislative action that established nurse registration acts providing nurses with a legal title (i.e. registered professional nurse) and finally, to the many standards and qualities that guide nursing professionals today. As members of the largest healthcare profession and as frontline providers of service, professional nursing holds its own
