Abstract
Introduction: As the population needs for health care at the local level become integrated into the global context,
nurses are given the opportunity to make a significant contribution to the modernization of the healthcare system
and gain importance and recognition from the political perspective. Nursing today is confronted with the needs and
demands of both healthy and ill populations — these can be the result of changing demographics, new technologies, a
growing awareness of the rights and voiced expectations of service users etc. Slovenian nurses have the opportunity
to make a significant contribution to the modernization of the Slovenian healthcare system. This can be achieved
by learning from the experiences of other countries and by exploring and addressing existing aspects of the need
to gain professional status.
Methods: A review of the i