Protecting the Professional Image and Future of the Most Trusted Profession—
NURSING
By Sabrina Ehmke, Lauren Olson, and Faisa Yusuf
In 2026, the NSNA House of Delegates passed resolution, " Protecting the Professional Image and Future of Nursing." The authors of the resolution address the topic in this article.
Quoting the American Association of Colleges of Nursing( 2025), a resolution adopted by the NSNA House of Delegates( NSNA, 2026) declared“… the American Association of Colleges of Nursing( AACN) states federal definitions of professional degree programs may exclude nursing and limit student loan access …”
The proposal to remove nursing from degrees classified as professional by the United States Department of Education would limit federal student loan eligibility for nurses pursuing advanced education, creating barriers that may lead to decreased patient care quality,
18 NSNA Imprint fewer qualified nursing educators, reduced workforce competency, and widespread disruption across healthcare systems( Quoyin, 2025). The implication of this proposal extends beyond individual students and threatens to affect the future of healthcare delivery.
Minnesota State University in Mankato chose this topic for the NSNA resolution because we anticipate the direct impact of the erosion of nursing ' s professional identity. Mankato ' s nursing community brought forth our resolution to the 2026 National Student Nurses Association annual conference in
Houston, Texas, with the proposal that all schools of nursing implement structured academic and clinical experiences that emphasize nursing as a professional degree, including ethical practice, evidence-based practice, scientific foundations, competency, and professional identity development. All schools of nursing should be strongly encouraged to support nursing student associations in promoting leadership, advocacy, and professional engagement within the nursing profession.
Evidence of Nursing’ s Professionalism
For more than a quarter of a century,