Spiritual character and self-identity in nurses

Florence Nightingale gave us an image of nurses as providers of loving care to the world. To be a good nurse, one needs to be compassionate. To provide good care, one needs training to learn proper techniques. Nursing is more than providing care; it is a profession that requires an inner willingness to serve others. This is known as professionalism and spirituality. How does one decide to serve others? Unless a sense of calling is experienced, one cannot commit oneself to helping others. Nurses must know who they are in order to fulfill their duties. This article selected two nurse role models from recent history, Majorie Brooking and Chen Tsui-yu, to illustrate the proper role of the nurse and how one may follow in their footsteps. Eric Erikson's theory of identity is used to see how compassion is learned and developed. The article also discusses the meaning and images of "nurse" in history.