Objective To investigate current status of the public′s perception of nurse role and nursing profession, and to provide re-ferences for the development of nursing profession. Methods We conducted an online survey with a self-designed questionnaire.The contents of the questionnaire included respondents′ demographics, their perception on nurse role and cognition of nursing profession. Results A total of 942 valid questionnaires were collected.The public′s first impression of nurses was positive.The highest expectations of the general public for "excellent nurses" were "good attitude" (91.22%) and "responsible" (91.22%), while the highest expectation of nurses for "being excellent nurses" was "professional knowledge and solid skills" (94.27%).The majority of the public agreed that there was a shortage of nurses, with 60.82% of the general public and 29.30% of nurses saying "will/may recommend friends and relatives to the nursing profession". Conclusion In general, the public had a positive evaluation on the role of nurses and nursing profession, but they don′t have a full picture of image of nurses.Nursing staff and nursing managers should take active actions to continuously improve the image of nurses, so as to improve the public′s understanding and support of nursing profession.