The distinction between professional and associate professional nurses should be made on the basis of the nature of the work performed in relation to the tasks specified in this definition. The qualifications held by individuals or that predominate in the country are not the main factor in making this distinction, as training arrangements for nurses vary widely between countries and have varied over time within countries. Nurses who combine nursing education or research with clinical nursing practice are classified in Unit Group 2221: Nursing Professionals. Nursing researchers who participate in biomedical research using living organisms and do not undertake clinical nursing practice are classified in Unit Group 2131: Biologists, Botanists, Zoologists and Related Professionals.
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