Concurrent development trends in the international nursing profession

The modern nursing profession, established by Florence Nightingale, is influenced by myriad factors that include politics, legislation, societal priorities, advances in medical and computer technologies, and changes in the economic and the medical environments. Nursing profession development in Taiwan is further influenced by western culture through overseas study by scholars and the frequent holding of academic activities. Nursing education, administration and standards of practice in Taiwan are similar to that in western countries. In fact, we can anticipate that the gap that still remains between Taiwan and international nursing development will close during the course of the 21st century. The purpose of this article is to analyze the vision and development of ICN and ANA, the two nursing organizations responsible for keeping Taiwan in step with international nursing profession trends, to help the readers understand concurrent developments in the international nursing profession.