Book excerpt: This textbook draws on international contributors with a range of backgrounds to explore, engage with and challenge readers in understanding the many aspects and elements that inform and influence contemporary nursing practice. With a focus to the future, this book explores the challenges facing health services and presents the arguments for a nursing contribution and influence in ensuring safe and quality care. Readers are supported to explore how, as individuals, they can shape their personal nursing identity and practice. The structure of the text is based on the belief that an individual nurse’s professional identity is developed through an interaction between their personal attributes and the influences of the profession itself. Reflecting this approach, the authors engage in a conversation with the reader rather than simply presenting a series of facts and information. Organised around a series of topical and pertinent questions and drawing on perspectives from policy, education and practice, the book explores a diverse range of topics such as: how historical and popular media representations of nursing hold back nursing practice today; the opportunities presented through education and nursing role development to increase the nursing contribution to health services; the economic and political influences on nursing and health care; how the professional regulation of nurses and core values informs your practice; ways to define and develop your own strong nursing identity. Central chapter questions provide ideal triggers for group discussions in class or online and equally as discussion topics between colleagues to support ongoing professional development. There is an emphasis throughout Nurses and Nursing on challenging thinking to recast nursing practice for the future by encouraging the reader to explore and create their emerging nursing identity or re-examine previously long held views. This text supports the reader to better understand health care, nursing and most importantly themselves as nurses.