Nursing is a dynamic and expanding profession. Nursing is both an art and a science, and it focuses on helping clients achieve an optimal state of health. More specifically nurses assist clients in:

• the promotion of health,
  
• the ability to cope with health problems and maintain life,
  
• the capacity to adapt to and/or recover from the effects of disease or injury, and
  
• ​the support of their right to a dignified death.
• (National Council of State Boards of Nursing, 1999).

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The choice of nursing as a career is appropriate for those who wish to be instrumental in helping others, to be intellectually stimulated, and to have a variety of employment opportunities. In addition, nursing has opportunities for individuals with a wide diversity of talents and abilities. Consider the specific and different attributes that nurses would need working in the following areas: childbirth centers, community health, emergency departments, geriatric wellness programs, HMOs, intensive care units, mental health programs, occupational health, operating rooms, nursing research, school health, substance abuse treatment programs, and many more.

Nurses have a commitment to a strict code of ethics that guides their practice. Nurses understand that the ongoing changes in nursing and the health care system create a constant need to keep increasing their knowledge and skills with a commitment to lifelong learning. Nursing is a career opportunity that can fulfill may of an individual’s goals and ideals and yield a rewarding future in an important profession.