ABSTRACT
Nursing as a profession is subject to regulatory legislation in the UK and in many other countries. This chapter discusses the registration and regulation of nursing. It examines the purpose of regulation and discusses external control and professional self-determination. The chapter reviews the concept of professionalism, the impact on professional regulation of societal changes, consumerism and the emergence of a less deferential society. It also explores the contribution regulation makes to standards of patient care and safety and asks whether regulation is, of itself, sufficient. Professional regulation exists to protect the public. It underpins the natural trust the public has in health professionals, with formal assurance that this is not misplaced. Many countries protect the title nurse, while in some like the UK, a nurse can be a descriptor of many roles such as caring for small children or for sick animals; with the nomenclature 'registered nurse' reserved for those regulated by the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC).
