Pronouns refering to jobs

[Anonymous]

When sb asks me the question: " What is a nurse?" can I start my answer with the pronoun "it" as in " It is a person who takes care of patients"?
What about the phrase: " What does a nurse do?" should I start with " it, she, he or they?"
Thanks,
Victor

 

[RonBee]

Q: What is a nurse?
A: A nurse is a person who takes care of patients.

Q: What does a nurse do?
A: A nurse dispenses medicines, monitors a patient's vital signs, aids patients in their recovery, etc.

 

[Tdol]

When sb asks me the question: " What is a nurse?" can I start my answer with the pronoun "it" as in " It is a person who takes care of patients"?
What about the phrase: " What does a nurse do?" should I start with " it, she, he or they?"
Thanks,
Victor

It depends on you- traditionalists use 'he' for such cases, but in a case like 'nurse', they might use 'she' in keeping with the image of the profession. Others use 'he or she', which I find clumsy. I use 'they'. ;-0