The 2025 International Council of Nurses definitions: Implications for perioperative nursing practice and professional standards

Background: In 2025, the International Council of Nurses (ICN) released updated definitions of nursing and nurse to reflect evolving global health systems, professional expectations, and regulatory frameworks. Purpose: The aim was to examine the historical evolution of ICN definitions and analyze the implications of the 2025 definitions for perioperative nursing practice and professional standards. Methods: This scholarly analysis reviews prior ICN definitions, including the 1947 constitutional definition, Virginia Henderson’s 1960 definition, and the 2002 ICN definition, and outlines the modified Delphi consensus process used to develop the 2025 revisions. Results: The 2025 definitions position nursing as a regulated, science-based profession grounded in ethical standards, social justice, culturally safe care, and systems leadership. For perioperative nurses, they reinforce commitments to patient safety, advocacy, interdisciplinary collaboration, and leadership in surgical systems. Conclusions: The definitions provide a contemporary framework supporting credentialing, scope of practice, and global professional alignment.