Abstract

Nursing staff are considered as the backbone of contemporary, high quality healthcare systems around the globe, where standards of health care performance and provision are determined by the knowledge and skills of nurses. This paper evolved out of a PhD Dissertation titled “Past, Present and Future Trends of Nursing Workforce Migration: Analysis and Policy Implications”. This article provides an overview about nursing in healthcare delivery system of Pakistan and talks about Nursing in Pakistan. This article illustrates history of nursing in Pakistan, regulation of nursing in Pakistan including details regarding national regulatory bodies, provincial regulatory bodies and role of nursing federations and unions. It also discusses in detail nursing education system in Pakistan, status and image of nursing in Pakistan, the importance of nursing workforce in healthcare, nurse employment in healthcare hierarchy in Pakistan including power as nurse in current system and working conditions of nurses in Pakistan, shortage of nursing in Pakistan as a reason of demand and supply gap and migration of Pakistani educated nurses to foreign countries highlighting reasons for nurse migration.