The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) has published a new definition of nursing that reflects the safety-critical role and increased complexity of the profession.
The definition is: Nursing is a safety-critical profession founded on four pillars: clinical practice, education, research, and leadership.
Registered nurses use evidence-based knowledge, professional and clinical judgement to assess, plan, implement and evaluate high-quality person-centred nursing care.
It describes registered nurses as being “safety-critical” decision-makers and problem solvers. It says that nurses use “evidence-based knowledge, skills, and judgement to provide care, support, and treatment to people of all ages and backgrounds”.
According to the RCN, registered nurses use evidence-based knowledge, professional and clinical judgment to assess, plan, implement, and evaluate high-quality person-centered nursing care. The four pillars emphasize the various aspects of nursing practice and highlight the importance of continuous learning, research, and leadership in the profession. The RCN also highlights that the leadership pillar for some nurses will include management responsibilities.
The organization’s most recent publication of a nursing definition happened two decades ago, and the profession has undergone substantial transformations in the time since. The RCN has worked with its members to update the definition of nursing to reflect these changes.
It serves as the foundation for the updated RCN Principles of Nursing, which outline what everyone can expect from nursing in terms of safe and effective care. These principles address aspects of behaviour, attitude, and approach that contribute to effective care and are aligned with and supplement the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) Code.
Rachel Hollis, Chair of the RCN Professional Nursing Committee, said, “This has been a hugely important piece of work by the RCN and will help ensure that registered nurses are valued and respected, and the scope of their work is acknowledged”
The RCN has said that the new definition of nursing will help to raise the profile of the profession and ensure that nurses are recognised for the vital role they play in healthcare. It will also serve as the foundation for the RCN Professional structure, which was developed by nurses to provide clarity on levels of practise and to establish a career structure for nurses.
A digital resource containing the definition, principles, and framework is planned to be released before the end of the year.
Definition of nursing (expanded version)
”Nursing is a safety-critical profession founded on four pillars: clinical practice, education, research, and leadership.
Registered nurses use evidence-based knowledge, professional and clinical judgement to assess, plan, implement and evaluate high-quality person-centred nursing care.
The work of registered nurses consists of many specialised and complex interventions. Their vigilance is critical to the safety of people, the prevention of avoidable harm and the management of risks regardless of the location or situation.
Compassionate leadership is central to the provision and coordination of nursing care and informed by its values, integrity & professional knowledge. Responsibility includes leading the integration of emotional, physical, organisational, and cognitive nursing work to meet the needs of people, organisations, systems, and populations.
Registered nurses are decision-makers. They use clinical judgement and problem-solving skills to manage and coordinate the complexity of health and social care systems to ensure people and their families are enabled to improve, maintain, or recover health by adapting, coping, and returning to live lives of the best quality or to experience a dignified death. They have high levels of autonomy within nursing and multi-professional teams, and they delegate to others in line with the NMC code.” (RCN, 2023).
