Professional identity in nursing: are we there yet?

Nursing in the United Kingdom (UK) has been part of higher education for more than a decade and is now moving towards graduate status as a profession. Increasingly, through adherence to good practice guidelines and professional body regulation, the profession is incrementally involving communities of reference to help shape current and future identity. The desire to articulate the impact of nursing practice underscores the new undergraduate programmes and propels professional preparation beyond an existence at the fuzzy fringes of medicine towards a unique and fully fledged contemporary identity.