# nursing > caring for people who are sick or injured **Wikidata**: [Q121176](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q121176) **Wikipedia**: [English](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nursing) **Source**: https://4ort.xyz/entity/nursing ## Summary Nursing is the professional care of people who are sick or injured. It is a health care practice and occupation that is part of the fields of medicine and care and comprises many specialties, roles, educational credentials, organizations, and clinical processes. ## Key Facts - Nursing is defined as caring for people who are sick or injured. - Alias: "Nursing (professional)". - Wikidata description: "caring for people who are sick or injured". - Wikipedia title: Nursing. - Sitelink count: 89. - Nursing is part of the fields "medicine" (field of study for diagnosing, treating and preventing disease) and "care" (treatment of others). - Nursing includes or is associated with multiple specialties and parent topics: obstetrical nursing (prenatal care and pregnancy nursing specialty), public health nursing (nursing speciality focused on public health), nursing assessment (gathering of information about a patient's physiological, psychological, sociological and spiritual status), gerontological nursing (specialty pertaining to older adults), long-term care (services for the elderly or those with chronic illness or disability), nursing diagnosis (clinical judgment made by a nurse), emergency nursing (nursing specialty concerned with care for patients who require immediate medical attention), critical care nursing (nursing with a focus on the utmost care of the critically ill or unstable patients), nursing process (method of nursing care), intensive care medicine (medical care subspecialty, treating critically ill), telenursing (nursing care through telecommunications), psychiatric nursing (specialty applying psychiatric principles in caring for the mentally ill), occupational health nursing (nursing specialty). - Psychiatric nursing is explicitly listed as a contained/subsidiary specialty of nursing. - Obstetrical nursing appears as a parent/specialty of nursing (prenatal care and pregnancy nursing specialty) and is listed twice in the source relationships. - Registered nurse: a nurse who graduated from a nursing program and passed a national licensing exam; this credential is directly associated with nursing. - Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN): an undergraduate degree in nursing. - National Council of State Boards of Nursing: a not-for-profit organization in Chicago, Illinois, associated with nursing; inception +1978-00-00T00:00:00Z; country: Q30 (United States); sitelink_count: 5. - Activities of daily living assistance: services rendered by health professionals and non-professionals under their supervision; associated with nursing care. - Pink-collar worker: someone working in a care-oriented career field; related to nursing as a care-oriented occupation. - Academic relationships: nursing relates to "academic major" (focus of academic study leading to a degree) and "academic discipline" (academic field of study or profession). - Career: nursing relates to an individual's journey through learning and professional employment. - Notable associated people (as listed in the source) include Elsa Brändström (Swedish nurse; occupations , , , ; citizenship Q34), Malika Gaïd (Algerian nurse and independence fighter; occupations , , ; citizenship ), Gulya Korolyova (Russian actor; occupations , , , ; citizenship ), Jane Delano (American nurse and administrator; occupations , , ; citizenship Q30), Gertrude Maseko (former Malawi politician and former First Lady; occupations , ; citizenship ), Ann Burgess (American university teacher; occupations , , ; citizenship Q30), Grace Ellison (British journalist; occupations , , , , ; citizenship , ), Hannah Elizabeth Pick Goslar (occupation ; citizenship ), Faye Glenn Abdellah (American nurse; occupation ; citizenship Q30), Orli Wald (member of German Resistance; occupations , , ; citizenship ), Gisèle Pineau (French writer; occupations , ; citizenship ), Liliane Juchli (Swiss nun and writer; occupations , , , , , , , ; citizenship Q39), Nigel Short (English chess player and writer; occupations , , ; citizenship ). - Sit​elink counts for related items vary; e.g., academic discipline sitelink_count: 50; career sitelink_count: 63; registered nurse sitelink_count: 13; psychiatric nursing sitelink_count: 11. ## FAQs Q: What is nursing? A: Nursing is the professional care of people who are sick or injured; it operates within the broader fields of medicine and care and includes clinical roles, specialties, and processes. Q: What specialties and areas does nursing include? A: Nursing encompasses many specialties including obstetrical nursing (prenatal and pregnancy care), public health nursing, psychiatric nursing, gerontological nursing, emergency and critical care nursing, occupational health nursing, telenursing, long-term care, and intensive care-related practice. Q: What formal credentials and education are associated with nursing? A: Common credentials and education associated with nursing include the registered nurse credential (requires graduation from a nursing program and passing a national licensing exam) and the Bachelor of Science in Nursing (an undergraduate nursing degree). Q: What clinical processes are specific to nursing? A: Nursing includes specific clinical processes such as nursing assessment (gathering information about a patient's physiological, psychological, sociological and spiritual status), the nursing process (method of nursing care), and nursing diagnosis (a clinical judgment made by a nurse). Q: Which organizations are associated with nursing oversight or professional standards? A: An example organization is the National Council of State Boards of Nursing, a not-for-profit located in Chicago, Illinois, with inception in 1978 and associated with nursing regulation and boards in the United States. Q: How does nursing relate to other fields or career concepts? A: Nursing relates to the academic major and academic discipline concepts as an area of study and profession, and it fits into broader career pathways involving learning and professional employment in health care. It is also categorized among care-oriented occupations often described as "pink-collar" work. Q: Who are some people historically or publicly associated with nursing? A: The source lists multiple individuals associated with nursing or nursing-related occupations, including Elsa Brändström, Malika Gaïd, Jane Delano, Faye Glenn Abdellah, Liliane Juchli, and others, each noted with occupations and citizenships in the source data. ## Why It Matters Nursing matters because it delivers hands-on treatment and support to people who are sick, injured, or vulnerable, bridging clinical medicine and everyday care. As part of medicine and care, nursing contributes to diagnosing, treating, and preventing disease through direct patient care, assessment, and clinical judgment (nursing diagnosis). Nursing specialties target critical societal needs: obstetrical nursing supports prenatal and pregnancy health; public health nursing focuses on community-level prevention and health promotion; gerontological and long-term care address the needs of older adults and chronically ill populations; emergency, critical care, and intensive care nursing provide life-saving interventions for unstable patients. Nursing also adapts to new delivery methods (telenursing) and organizes around professional standards and credentialing (registered nurse, BSN, regulatory bodies such as the National Council of State Boards of Nursing). It solves practical problems—maintaining daily living assistance, coordinating care across settings, and applying specialized knowledge (psychiatric, occupational, emergency) to improve health and wellbeing. Because nursing integrates education, career pathways, regulatory oversight, and diverse specialties, it is a cornerstone of healthcare systems and public health. ## Notable For - Being explicitly defined as caring for people who are sick or injured and being part of the broader fields of medicine and care. - Encompassing a wide range of specialties, including psychiatric nursing, obstetrical nursing, public health nursing, gerontological nursing, emergency nursing, critical care nursing, occupational health nursing, and telenursing. - Including clinical processes unique to the profession: nursing assessment, nursing process, and nursing diagnosis. - Association with formal credentials and degrees: the registered nurse credential and the Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree. - Connection to national regulatory and professional organizations such as the National Council of State Boards of Nursing (inception 1978; Chicago, IL; United States). - Role in delivering activities of daily living assistance under professional supervision. - Being associated with care-oriented employment often characterized as pink-collar work. - A broad set of notable people linked to nursing work or history, as identified in the source material (names and associated occupations/citizenships provided). ## Body ### Overview - Nursing is the professional practice of caring for people who are sick or injured. - The practice is framed as part of the fields "medicine" (a field for diagnosing, treating and preventing disease) and "care" (treatment of others). - Nursing appears in academic and professional contexts as both an academic major (focus of study leading to a degree) and an academic discipline (field of study or profession). ### Specialties and Subsidiaries - Psychiatric nursing: a specialty applying psychiatric principles in caring for the mentally ill; explicitly listed as a contained/subsidiary specialty. - Obstetrical nursing: defined as prenatal care and pregnancy nursing specialty; appears as a parent/specialty of nursing (listed twice in source). - Public health nursing: nursing speciality focused on public health. - Gerontological Nursing: specialty pertaining to older adults. - Emergency nursing: nursing specialty concerned with care for patients who require immediate medical attention. - Critical care nursing: nursing with a focus on the utmost care of the critically ill or unstable patients. - Intensive care medicine: a related medical care subspecialty treating critically ill patients; interconnected with critical care nursing. - Occupational health nursing: identified as a nursing specialty. - Telenursing: nursing care delivered through telecommunications. - Long-term care: services for the elderly or those with chronic illness or disability; associated with nursing delivery. ### Clinical Processes and Professional Judgments - Nursing assessment: gathering information about a patient's physiological, psychological, sociological and spiritual status; this is a core nursing activity. - Nursing process: described as the method of nursing care; it structures how nurses deliver care. - Nursing diagnosis: a clinical judgment made by a nurse; part of the decision-making and planning process in nursing care. ### Education, Credentials, and Career Pathways - Registered nurse: a credential for nurses who have graduated from a nursing program and passed a national licensing exam; an essential professional qualification related to nursing practice. - Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN): an undergraduate degree in nursing; an academic pathway to professional practice. - Nursing is connected to career development as part of an individual's journey through learning, work, and professional employment. ### Organizations and Governance - National Council of State Boards of Nursing: a not-for-profit organization associated with nursing, located in Chicago, Illinois; inception recorded as +1978-00-00T00:00:00Z; country coded as Q30 (United States); sitelink_count: 5. This council is listed among nursing-related organizations in the source material. ### Services and Settings - Activities of daily living assistance: rendered by health professionals and non-professionals under supervision; nursing provides or supervises such services. - Nursing practice spans settings implied by the listed specialties: prenatal/pregnancy care contexts (obstetrical nursing), community and population health settings (public health nursing), acute care environments (emergency and critical care nursing, intensive care), long-term care facilities, telecommunication-based care (telenursing), workplace health settings (occupational health nursing). ### Social and Occupational Context - Pink-collar worker: the source defines this as someone working in a care-oriented career field; nursing is related to such care-oriented employment. - Academic links: nursing is connected to academic disciplines and majors, reflecting both a field of study and a profession. ### Notable People Associated with Nursing (as listed) - Elsa Brändström — Swedish nurse (occupations: , , , ; citizenship: Q34). - Malika Gaïd — Algerian nurse and independence fighter (occupations: , , ; citizenship: ). - Gulya Korolyova — Russian actor with nursing listed among occupations (occupations: , , , ; citizenship: ). - Jane Delano — American nurse and administrator (occupations: , , ; citizenship: Q30). - Gertrude Maseko — former Malawi politician and former First Lady (occupations: , ; citizenship: ). - Ann Burgess — American university teacher and nurse (occupations: , , ; citizenship: Q30). - Grace Ellison — British journalist and nurse among occupations (occupations: , , , , ; citizenship: , ). - Hannah Elizabeth Pick Goslar — listed with nursing occupation (occupation: ; citizenship: ). - Faye Glenn Abdellah — American nurse (occupation: ; citizenship: Q30). - Orli Wald — member of German Resistance with nursing occupation listed (occupations: , , ; citizenship: ). - Gisèle Pineau — French writer with nursing among occupations (occupations: , ; citizenship: ). - Liliane Juchli — Swiss nun and writer with multiple occupations including nursing (occupations: , , , , , , , ; citizenship: Q39). - Nigel Short — English chess player and writer listed among related persons (occupations: , , ; citizenship: ). ### Metadata and Counts - The primary entry has a sitelink_count of 89, indicating broad cross-language or cross-resource linkage for the topic of nursing. - Related concept sitelink counts vary in the source data (examples provided in Key Facts). ### Scope and Limitations of This Entry - This entry is compiled strictly from the provided source material. It lists specialties, processes, related occupations, organizations, and named individuals exactly as presented in the source data. No additional historical narratives, dates (other than the National Council inception), statistics, or external claims have been added. ## References 1. BNE authority file 2. RAMEAU 3. Nuovo soggettario 4. Freebase 5. [Source](https://www1.health.gov.il/nursing/about/about-nursing/activities/) 6. Art & Architecture Thesaurus 7. BBC Things 8. Library of Congress Subject Headings 9. YSO-Wikidata mapping project 10. BabelNet 11. UMLS 2023 12. Quora 13. Open Library 14. Google News 15. Treccani Vocabulary 16. Semantic Scholar 17. Medical Subject Headings 18. National Library of Israel 19. CC 6 20. KBpedia 21. [OpenAlex](https://docs.openalex.org/download-snapshot/snapshot-data-format)