In the healthcare profession, the role played by nurses is increasingly vital to the provision of quality care. Over the last century, technological innovations have improved the ability of nursing professionals to treat and prevent disease and to work in teams to provide complicated interventions to patients. Furthermore, increased specialization in the medical field has also led to the specialization of nursing. Today's nurses can be called upon to provide very precise care using broad academic and professional qualifications. However, the growing importance of nursing has not been accompanied by an increase in the prestige of the profession. Although today's nurses are much more qualified than their profession's predecessors, nurses, future medical professionals, and the public are not all aware of the true value of the profession. In order to increase the esteem of nursing, it is necessary to use public awareness campaigns, educational measures and managerial decisions within healthcare organizations to improve the perception that all members of society have when interacting with nursing professionals. Overview of the Problem The reputation of nursing has failed to keep pace with the function that nurses perform in a healthcare setting. Although nursing was previously known as a profession that people could obtain with little post-secondary education, this reality is rapidly changing. Due to the complex challenges that healthcare professionals face in the 21st century, nursing requires professionals who possess high levels of knowledge and skills that can be used in providing patient care (Neilson & McNally, 2013). Although the previous generation of nurses may have been generalists, today's nurses must possess specialized knowledge...... middle of paper....... Journal of Advanced Nursing, 70(2), 295-309.Karimi, Z ., Ashktorab, T., Mohammadi, E., & Abedi, H. A. (2014). Using the hidden curriculum to teach professionalism to nursing students. Iranian Red Crescent Medical Journal, 16(3), npMcNally, J., & Neilson, G.R. (2013). The negative influence of significant others on the choice of nursing career by high-achieving school pupils. Nurse Education Today, 33, 205-209. Shaw, K., & Timmons, S. (2010). Exploring how nursing uniforms influence self-image and professional identity. Nursing Times, 106(10), 21-3.Wocial, L., Albert, N.M., Fettes, S., Birch, S., Howey, K., Na, J., & Trochelman, K. (2010). Impact of pediatric nurses' uniforms on perceptions of nursing professionalism. Pediatric Nursing, 36(6), 320-326.Wyatt, D. A. (2013). The future of nursing: understanding who nurses are. AORN diary, 98(3), 267-272.