[Development of the nursing profession].

In Finland nursing has been seen as an encounter between a nurse and a client or a patient. It is necessary to see nursing from the wider point of view and the wholeness of the profession it consists. There are at least three universal dimensions. They are: to fulfill the basic task of nursing, the development of nursing discipline and the development of the profession. The profession cannot be developed without a strong commitment in the task of nursing this commitment and its improvement being the most important challenge of nursing. The commitment is followed by responsibility, collegiality and collectivity as means to achieve the mutual goal. It is important to achieve the professional nursing education, which means university education. This kind of education is necessary because it provides ability to keep up with scientific studies, to apply the results of the studies to do research work. The education of nursing leaders also must be the kind it provides with ability to commit oneself to development of nursing and nursing research on one's own area, and managing nursing from the point of view of the knowledge base of nursing discipline, i.e. from the leadership and management theories of nursing.