What is already known about this topic
•A stereotypical public image of nurses exists in many countries.
•The public image of nursing affects nursing recruitment.
What this paper adds
•It is important to consider nurses’ self-image and their perceived public image in relation to their intention to leave their jobs and their overall job performance.
•Nurses regard their self-image as leaders much higher than their perceived public image.
•When nurses perceive their public image as being caring less positively than their self-image, their job performance tends to improve.