Global standards, local realities: A critical analysis of the 2025 International Council of Nurses redefinition of nursing and nurse.

Abstract

In June 2025, the International Council of Nurses (ICN) updated its official definitions of "nursing" and "nurse," which were adopted unanimously at the ICN Congress 2025 held in Helsinki, Finland. Although the updated definitions provide a comprehensive and aspirational global nursing framework that aligns with the broader goals of health equity, leadership, and culturally safe care, a critical analysis of the new definitions shows that global nurse leaders from low- and middle-income countries expressed pragmatic concerns over its implementation. Furthermore, six contemporary nursing elements are underrepresented in the new definitions. This article is a critical analysis of ICN's 2025 redefinition of "nursing" and "nurse," focusing on local realities and the nursing elements that may have been missed in the redefinition: the centrality of the nurse-patient relationship, well-being as a goal of nursing, legal accountability and professional responsibility, advanced nursing practice, interprofessional collaboration, and technological perspectives and future-proofing of nursing. Including a more complete picture of nursing's multifaceted contributions to health and society is recommended.