'It is important the profession clearly defines its role and function, lest others do it for us,’ says the International Council of Nursing.
The updated definitions of “nurse” and “nursing”, mark “a shift away from a professional identity based on tasks to one conceived as a sophisticated profession requiring scientific knowledge, ethical standards, and therapeutic relationships”, the Australian College of Nursing says.
The International Council of Nurses, which represents over 29 million nurses globally, developed the definitions, which were endorsed by the Council of National Nursing Association Representatives and unanimously approved and launched at this week’s ICN 2025 Congress in Helsinki, Finland, attended by 7000 nurses from 130 countries.
“By clearly articulating the roles and responsibilities of nurses, the definitions elevate the recognition of nursing as a skilled and essential profession. They highlight nursing’s expanding scope, including leadership, advocacy, and contributions to health systems, which strengthens the profession’s visibility and influence,” the ICN report said.
The definition hasn’t been reviewed in 23 years, and the ICN report said the context of rising healthcare spending and questions about sustainability of health systems post-pandemic made it the right time to do so.
“It is timely to consider the way in which we define our discipline and ensure that it adequately captures the breadth and depth of nursing’s contribution to health and society. It is important the profession clearly defines its role and function, lest others do it for us and in doing so increase the risk to the health of the public and diminish the voice of nursing in debate,” the report said.
Having a definition that used shared language made interprofessional collaboration more possible, said the ACN.
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“Alignment with global health priorities, such as Universal Health Coverage (UHC) and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), ensures that nursing’s contributions are recognised as legitimate for inclusion in broader health care, economic, climate, and humanitarian conversations.”
“For too long, nurses’ voices have been under-represented in policy discussions. This needs to change – and these definitions reflect that,” said acting ACN CEO Dr Zach Byfield.
The process of developing the new definitions was led by Australian nursing leader Professor Jill White FACN and included the input of the ACN and the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation, along with nursing organisations from around the world.
“ACN congratulates Professor White and her team on an incredible piece of work, which should prompt nurses, health professionals and health policymakers to pause and consider the deep breadth of wisdom and experience of our profession,” Dr Byfield said.
Read the full report here.