In fact, it is the last point that draws the line between nursing as a service and nursing as a career. These days, with so many training institutes around, virtually anybody with a basic qualification can become nurses. But the important aspect to note here is that nursing is a profession of dedication and commitment, requiring an unconditional service mindset to care for the ailing and the sick, which needs both an attitude and will of the highest degree. Those without this attitude also may technically become nurses, but not somebody in the genre of Florence Nightingale or Clara Barton.
Once Florence Nightingale herself quipped, "The very first requirement in a hospital is that it should do the sick no harm". This actually alludes to having a competent nursing force in place to take care of the ailing patients, for it is the humane touch, love and care that work wonders in curing the sick. Today as well, hospitals try to achieve that, but the number of dedicated people coming forward has nearly fallen to a trickle. Will things change in the near future?