Nursing education and importance of professional status in the nurse role. Expectations and knowledge of the nurse role

Development of the nursing profession is an essential goal of nursing education. One way to reach the goal is by clarifying professional status, a status which for the most part is transferred through tacit knowledge. The goals of any nursing education do not include the entire body of tacit knowledge. The development requires recognition of professional status. Over time, significant changes in distribution of nurses' conceptions about professional status are described. The authors contend that conceptions of the importance of professional status are assimilated during work experience. The necessity and importance of role modelling, role repetition and interactions with a professional group are supported by findings from the literature and the authors' current research.