By Dr. Schola Matovu | Nursing Professor | Nurse Scientist | Director of Global Learning and Engagement
Who Are We?
There is something in nursing that we don’t talk about enough—but should.
It is not just about skills, education, or even experience.
It is about identity.
Who are we as nurses?
How do we describe ourselves—and why do we choose those descriptors?
And perhaps more importantly, how do those choices shape our leadership, our confidence, and our ability to influence systems?
These are not abstract questions for me. They have followed me from nursing school, to bedside practice, to nursing science, to advocacy, and into leadership spaces. And I know I am not alone.
Because somewhere along every nursing journey, this question appears:
Who am I becoming in this profession—and who am I allowed to be?
The Early Narrative: “Helping People” and the Bedside Identity
Like many nurses, my entry into the profession was rooted in a simple answer: I wanted to help people.
It is a beautiful intention—and one the profession proudly carries forward. Nursing has always been grounded in care, compassion, and service, dating back to the legacy of Florence Nightingale, whose influence still shapes how we think about nursing today.
But that legacy also carries an unspoken narrative:
that nurses are primarily caregivers at the bedside, defined by service, comfort, and obedience within systems they do not always shape.
And while bedside nursing is foundational—and sacred—it is not the full story.
Because helping people does not only happen at the bedside.
Yet many nurses are never encouraged to see beyond it.
The Hidden Tension: Identity vs. Expansion
Across my career, I have witnessed something that many of us quietly understand but rarely challenge.
Nurses who pursue leadership, education, research, or policy are often seen differently.
Sometimes it sounds like:
- “Oh, you left bedside nursing.”
- “You went to the dark side.”
- “You don’t really care about patients anymore.”
I’ve heard it. I’ve even internalized it at times.
Because when your identity is narrowly defined, stepping outside of it can feel like betrayal rather than growth.
But here is the truth:
Leadership is not leaving nursing.
It is expanding what nursing can be.
The System We Inherit—and the Limits It Creates
Nursing does not exist in a vacuum. It operates within systems shaped by hierarchy, patriarchy, and long-standing cultural norms.
These systems influence everything: how we speak, how we dress, where we stand in decision-making spaces, and whose voices are prioritized.
Even now, I have sat in global nursing discussions outside of the U.S. where debates still arise about uniforms, tradition, and “what Nightingale would think.”
But we are no longer in Nightingale’s time. Healthcare has changed. Populations have changed. Systems have changed. Nursing must change too.
Unfortunately, some of these limiting perspectives are also perpetuated within the profession itself—by gatekeepers who do not believe in mentorship, but instead in control; who unintentionally (or sometimes intentionally) stifle younger generations of nurses. In doing so, they reinforce the harmful idea that “nurses eat their young,” and that anything or anyone that does not resemble a narrow, traditional image of what a nurse should look like is somehow less valid or less acceptable.
That belief is unacceptable.
We must actively challenge it. Nursing must be a profession where mentorship replaces hierarchy, where growth is encouraged rather than policed, and where nurses are empowered to lead and serve as their most authentic selves—not in the image of what the past dictated, but in the fullness of who they are becoming.
Holding on too tightly to outdated symbols of identity can unintentionally limit how we see ourselves—and how others see us.
From Bedside to Systems Thinking: What “Helping” Really Means
One of the most important realizations in my journey has been this:
‘Helping’ or ‘serving’ is not one-dimensional.
At the bedside, helping looks like comfort, care, clinical skill, and presence.
But beyond the bedside, helping looks like:
- Generating evidence as a nurse scientist
- Improving systems through research and quality improvement
- Advocating for patients in policy and governance spaces
- Teaching and shaping the next generation of nurses
- Leading organizations and health systems toward equity
Each of these is nursing. Each of these is care. Each of these is impact.
And yet, we often elevate one while diminishing the others.
The Leadership Gap: Who Is at the Table?
Globally, nurses make up the majority of the health workforce—but not the majority of decision-makers.
According to the World Health Organization, nurses represent over 90% of frontline healthcare delivery, yet only a small fraction are present in leadership and policy-making roles.
This is not just a workforce issue.
It is an identity issue.
Because if nurses do not see themselves as leaders, because unfortunately we were not taught how, systems will continue not to see them that way either.
Representation does not begin at the table.
It begins with how we define ourselves before we ever enter the room.
The Controversy of Identity: “Doctor,” “Nurse,” and Everything In Between
One of the more complex identity conversations in nursing relates to titles.
I have introduced myself as “Doctor,” only to be asked if I provide care.
I have also chosen to clarify: “I am a nurse with a PhD.”
And yet even that phrasing opens debate. “Oh, there is a Phd in Nursing?”
So let’s be clear.
A PhD is a doctorate.
A DNP is a doctorate.
These are terminal academic degrees rooted in advanced knowledge creation, scholarship, and expertise.
They do not replace nursing identity—they expand it.
And yet, many nurses hesitate to fully own these titles, especially in clinical spaces, for fear of confusion or misinterpretation.
But clarity should not require self-minimization.
We can say:
- I am a nurse
- I am a scientist
- I am a leader
- I am a doctor (PhD or DNP)
- And I am not a physician
These identities can coexist without contradiction
The Core Issue: Self-Perception Shapes Possibility
At the heart of this conversation is something deeper than titles or roles.
It is this:
How we see ourselves determines what we believe we are allowed to become.
If we see ourselves only as bedside caregivers, we may never pursue systems leadership.
If we see ourselves only as followers within hierarchy, we may never challenge it.
And this is why the phrase “I am just a nurse”—as many still say—is unacceptable. It diminishes the depth, expertise, and authority of an entire profession. It quietly reinforces the very limits we are trying to break.
But if we see ourselves as knowledge holders, advocates, leaders, and change agents—then nursing expands.
And so do we.
A Call Back to Self: Leading Begins Within
Leadership does not begin with position.
It begins with self-definition.
What do you believe your nursing identity includes?
Who told you what was possible?
And who would you become if those limits were removed?
Because nursing is not static.
It is a profession of lifelong learning, as emphasized by pioneers such as Mary Eliza Mahoney, the first African American nurse, and one of my role models and who reminded us that nursing is both a journey of growth and a responsibility to advocate for change.
We either evolve the profession—or the profession evolves without us.
Closing Reflection: Stand Fully in Your Identity
Every nurse—regardless of degree, title, or setting—plays a critical role in health systems.
But the future of nursing depends on something more:
Our willingness to fully own who we are.
Not shrink it.
Not soften it.
Not fragment it.
Own it.
Because identity is not just how we describe ourselves.
It is how we decide to show up in the world.
And the world needs nurses who are not only skilled—but fully self-defined, fully present, and fully empowered to lead.