Introduction. Profession of a nurse is the one having a particular character. Introducing the standards of tertiary education, and also respecting the rights acquired in the labour market, in all the countries of the European Community, raise the quality, and also professionalism, of nursing services. Aim. The objective of the study was to determine society's knowledge of the functioning of the nursing profession in Poland, its prestige, and also public trust. Material and methods. The study involved 120 individuals (62 females and 58 males), living in Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship. In the study, the diagnostic survey method was used. The research tool was a survey questionnaire developed by the author, and consisting of 26 multiple choice questions. Statistical analysis was conducted with the use of the IBM Statistics 23 package, by means of which a number of the ÷2 tests for independence were performed. The adopted significance level in this study amounted to p < 0.05. Results. The older age group is studied, the more positively the professional prestige of nurses is assessed. The studied indicate that a contemporary nurse is a person who reliably, and also carefully, performs her professional duties, and also methodically develops her expertise. Public trust towards nurses is assessed as high. Young people (up to the age of 40) are more knowledgeable in terms of the demographical situation of nurses. Conclusions. Efforts should be made to intensify actions aiming at the development of professionalism, thus strengthening the professional status of, and social trust in, nurses, in particular among young people. Society's knowledge of the current demographical situation of nurses in Poland, and also their professional and social competences, needs to be updated methodically.

Key words: image, nurse, professional prestige.