Health promotion is one of many strategies deployed by nurses. Documents and field experience suggest a partial integration of such interventions. A detailed analysis of the available literature shows that such an assertion might be unwarranted for three reasons: 1) the integration of health promotion in nursing has been the subject of only a limited number of empirical studies, 2) definitions of health promotion developed through nursing are some of the most frequently cited, and 3) elements of contemporary discourse are often enclosed in these definitions. This discussion examines the gap between the discourse and practice of health promotion. The analysis concludes that there is a pluralism of paradigms in nursing; a situation that can be attributed to the breadth of the discipline. Recommendations and stakes are addressed.