Nursing is a unique activity which has a distinctive mode of action, one that is also the sum of theoretical knowledge, skills, feelings, and courage. It gradually establishes itself as a profession, builds each element which would formally make it as such: theoretical knowledge, self-organization, a monopoly on its scope of competence, recognition. Based on the scientific interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary knowledge of the profession, the process of professionalization, the social relations of the specific activities that have obtained the status of the profession it can be determined to what extent nursing. Is a discipline, to what extent it is a profession. Globalisation is a process that has started and that has implications on nursing as well. It began as a result of the development of science, technology, the emergence of the market economy, democracy, and it is necessary to establish the position of nurses within these changes. It is important to familiarize nurses with the beginnings of their profession. The intention is to point out the strengths, the weaknesses, the opportunities and the threats that nursing is encountering during the process of professionalization in Croatia as a young, transitional country. By joining the European union, Croatia has adopted a different way of functioning, it must be incorporated into the integration that it has enteredand the same applies to nursing as well. It must accept new ways of working, organization, planning, execution, legislation. The intention was to clarify the basic concepts of every aspect that has an impact on nursing and indicate the need for detailed research. Is nursing developed and a formally recognized profession? Does the nursing profession have prosperity? Dothe nurses want to be a part of it? To determine what are the preconditions that the legislation, the position in society, the power to influence the decisions and the direction in which it will develop are amply known and familiar to nurses for them to more easily understand them. By studying the vocational literature, the most recent decisions, recommendations and guidelines it is possible to come to understanding which determinants of the process of professionalization of nursing in Croatia are important and relevant. By searching the latest results of the negotiations, analysis and decisions of respective institutions we can obtain specific conclusions whether nursing is a formally recognized profession, what are the guidelines that have led to that or have yet to bring to that.