自從南丁格爾建立起護理美好的形像以來，護理一直是令人敬佩的工作，在歷史上贏得無數的掌
聲。但護理不只是照顧病人的工作, 它也是一種專業。照護需要愛心與同理情，專業需要教育與
訓練，並不是每一個照顧人的人都可以叫作護理師或是護士。在今天價值現實化的世界裡，加上
現代科技神速進步的挑戰中，護理人員應再次思考護理的內涵及自我認同，才能發揮護理的光輝
造福人群。本文從護理的本質, 護理的歷史發展過程與艾克生的認同理念，來探討護理的自我認
同。同時也在台灣近代歷史中的護理典範，以巫瑪玉和陳翠玉為例，來探討護理情操及側穩之心
與護理自我認同的關聯性。

Florence Nightingale gave us an image of nurses as providers of loving care to the world. To be a good nurse, one needs to be compassionate. To provide good care, one needs training to learn proper techniques. Nursing is more than providing care; it is a profession that requires an inner willingness to serve others. This is known as professionalism and spirituality. How does one decide to serve others? Unless a sense of calling is experienced, one cannot commit oneself to helping others. Nurses must know who they are in order to fulfll their duties. This article selected two nurse role models from recent history, Majorie Brooking and Chen Tsui-yu, to illustrate the proper role of the nurse and how one may follow in their footsteps. Eric Erikson’s theory of identity is used to see how compassion is learned and developed. The article also discusses the meaning and images of “nurse” in history.