The International Council of Nurses (ICN) as the peak global body for nursing organisations has renewed the definitions of ‘nurse’ and ‘nursing’, for the first time in 23 years, marking 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 new definitions were unanimously approved at the International Council of Nurses (ICN) Council of National Nursing Association Representatives, held this week at the ICN 2025 Congress in Helsinki, Finland, where 7,000 nurses have gathered from more than 130 countries, including Australia.
The ICN’s new definition of ‘a nurse’ represents a shift in the professional identity, from one focused on education completion and regulation to a greater emphasis on scientific knowledge, ethical standards, and therapeutic relationships. The new definition also understands the nurse to play a role in shaping policy, and having comprehensive roles in innovation, disaster response, and population health – an evolution from the specific task-based role of the last definition.
The new definition of ‘nursing’ encompasses the commitment of the profession to uphold everyone’s right to enjoy the highest standard of health, rather than as a function of just individual patient responses.
The definitions, which can be found here, were formulated in a year-long process, led by Australian nursing leader, Professor Jill White with input from nursing organisations around the world, including the Australian College of Nursing and the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation (ANMF).