Nurses have many roles and work in emergency rooms, clinics, hospitals, doctor’s offices even schools in patient care, education and research in a wide variety of specialties. The nursing profession is often described as part art and part science.

Before modern-day nursing, nuns and the military provided nursing care to the public. During the Crimean War Florence Nightingale worked to improve conditions for soldiers; because of her efforts Nightingale is credited with founding the modern-day profession of nursing. In 1859 Nightingale published "Notes on Nursing: What it is and What it is Not," a 136-page guide for caretakers. Though the guide was not meant to be comprehensive it includes advice and practices for basic health care.

Other women including Mary Seacole, Agnes Elizabeth Jones and Linda Richards also greatly contributed to the development of the nursing profession. To learn more about the women who shaped the professional field of nursing, read nursing magazines like Nurse Educator.

There are many educational paths to becoming a professional nurse, which vary greatly worldwide. All paths involve extensive study of nursing theory and practice and training in clinical skills. To work as a nurse in the United States, nurses must hold one or more credentials. There are several tiers of nurses including licensed practical nurse, registered nurse and nurse practitioner.

Today almost three million men and women in the United States work as nurses and are responsible for the treatment, safety and healthy recovery of ill and injured people, which takes a high level of commitment, passion, training and hard work.

Spurred by economic factors and an increasingly aging population, the demand for nurses has been on the rise for several years. The U.S. Department of Labor projects the demand for nurses to increase for the foreseeable. Candidates for nursing jobs that are in highest demand include registered nurses, licensed practical nurses, certified nurse assistants and certified medical assistants. Internationally, there is also a high demand for nurses.

Nurses must constantly keep up with the changing healthcare standards. One way nurses stay up-to-date is by reading nursing magazines, newsletters and journals such as Nursing, Nurse Educator, Home Healthcare Nurse, CIN: Computers, Informatics Nursing, The Journal of Cardiovascular Nursing, The Journal of Nursing Administration and more. These nursing magazines include professional nursing journals and newsletters that are invaluable resources of current clinical and professional topics highly relevant in today’s nursing profession.

Each year National Nurses Week is celebrated from May 6-12. National Nurses Day is May 12, which is the birthday of Florence Nightingale.