Career paths of nurses: when is a nurse no longer a nurse?

When is a nurse no longer a nurse? Lillian Wald established the first settlement house. Elizabeth Kinney founded the discipline of physical medicine. These nurses saw a need and used their nursing knowledge and experience to fill that need. Did these innovations make them ex-nurses? Florence Nightingale did not stop considering herself a nurse when she began the discipline of biostatistics. Modern nurse pioneers will not only define but expand the boundaries of nursing. You can take the nurse out of the profession, but it seems unlikely that you can take the profession out of the nurse.