The nursing profession has metamorphosed from a primitive unorganised practice in ancient times, to the mostly autonomous, essential profession that is prevalent in countries worldwide. It has undergone tremendous changes in response to societal needs and due to its dynamic component, will continue to change ever so often in order to effectively produce service to society (Berman, Snyder, Kozier & Erb, 2008). The importance of nursing stemmed from the traditional female role as mother, wife, sister and daughter. As Berman et al (2008) posit, in these offices, females were naturally expected to be caregivers and nurturers both for their family members and the individuals in the community. The care these females provided was generally related to comfort and maintaining the physical health of the individuals within their care. Hence the historical beginnings of nursing has shaped the humanistic, altruistic, comforting and supporting roles that nurses have undertaken in today’s society. From a Caribbean perspective, nursing has cemented its importance in our afro-centric society due to the essential care giving role of the ‘nanas’, who were elderly slave women, on the plantation. Swaby (2005) asserts that these women were “...one of the best disposed and trustworthy women on the estate” whose responsibility was but not limited to “keeping the plantation hospital and the sick in it, to clean and prepare such foods as were prescribed”. Although this form of health care was somewhat crude and unorganised as remedies and patient care were more folklore and traditionally based than on medical procedures and evidence based practice, how these nurses performed their role was an allusion to the caring and reliable roles nurses would take on in the future.

Since then, nursing has struggled to gain professional status within the Jamaican realm. In order for nursing to