Nurses are the largest group of Polish medical staff. There are currently approximately 230,000 nurses employed in Poland. There is a statutory profession for many years. Nurses
provide health services on the basis of a medical order or on their own. As a result of changes in the law, the scope of their professional competences has been increasing for
several years, including to independently administer medicines and issue prescriptions. The purpose of the article is to present and analyze legal norms determining the status
of a nurse in the Polish health care system. In addition, the definition of the statutory principles of cooperation between doctors and nurses. The analysis shows that changes in
law in recent years have significantly influenced the increase in the role of nurses in the health care system and they are also relevant to the practice of the medical profession.