Is nursing a profession or vocation?

Answer 1

A vocation is, to the best of my understanding, what God calls you to. It is the career or profession that God wills for you. Nursing is certainly a profession, but most people only consider a profession in the Church a "vocation."

The Catholic Church's stance on this, if i can speak for It, is that all people are called to witness to Christ and the Church. So, in whatever you do you should always be doing it for the greater glory of God, as St. Ignatius would say.

Answer 2

If you're being both Victorian and extremely and archiaically literal, the only three professions are doctors, lawyers (which includes attorneys, barristers, and solicitors) and Accountants (which apparently seems to include CPA's but not PA's -- go figure). In modern times (post 1950) I'd say that the nurse, never really the "doctor's assistant: even in those days, has evolved into the promary heatlh care scene caregiver, far more so than the doctor. Additionally, some nurses and nursing specialities require farm more time than a medical doctorate (I recall one BSRN who specialized in Neurology, them in Nursing concerns/Neuro, then Trauma Neuro, and then finally teaching it to others, but I disgree). I think the term "Professional"should be applied to nurses now too.