467 Nursery students and 113 Nurses in Germany as well as 36 Swiss nursery students have been surveyed and/or interviewed in group discussions on their occupational commitment and occupational identity. Additionally, 112 Polish students of health care work are currently surveyed. Moreover, 400 students from these countries have been evaluated for their occupational competence. The questionnaire developed by the COMET research has proved useful for the field of nursing as well. Still, amendments had to be made to shed light on different understandings of what are the main qualities of nursing - and thus the qualities of a professional nurse. Results have been compared with other German occupations and in between the different groups of nurses. The different understandings of the profession have a strong impact on the development of occupational identity and occupational commitment. References: Fischer, R. (2013) Berufliche Identität als Dimension beruflicher Kompetenz. Entwicklungsverlauf und Einfluassfaktoren in der Gesundheits- und Krankenpflege. Bielefeld: wbv