... technical expertise, professional stan-dards, altruistic service, and public trust. The main char-acteristics of a profession are established, specializedtraining in a body of abstract knowledge ... inte-gration of research and clinical care with the evolution of evidence-based practice and best practices.Taylor-Piliae (1998) describes evidence-based prac-tice as the application of the best ... SCIENCE OF NURSINGNursing is a profession characterized by educationalstandards, autonomy, socialization, an establishedknowledge base, licensure, formal entry examinations,code of ethics,...