The article describes the potent impact of nursing research in shaping and implementing current healthcare trends. Further, the article provides contextual information relevant to the historical development of nursing science from Florence Nightingale forward while marking milestones of achievement in nursing research endeavors and subsequent changes in healthcare. Finally, the article explores the complexities of nursing educational preparation for research and describes how all levels and types of nurses participate in the research process. Research administrators will achieve an improved appreciation for the role of nursing research in the transformation of healthcare in our current time. (Contains 2 tables.)