SDL no.

1
Timeline of Nursing History

Florence Nightingale
1860:created the first secular
school
Florence Nightingale is perhaps most
famous for her work caring for soldiers
during the Crimean War. During that time,
she was instrumental in decreasing the
death rate through her focus on hygiene.
1911: The American Nurses
In 1860, Nightingale funded and established
the Nightingale Training School, which is
1985Association was established
The American Nurses Association actually began in
now associated with King’s College London. 1896 as the
Operations Nurses
began Associated
shortly Alumnae, which
after, when
She played a crucial role in introducing primarily worked to improve nursing
all business permits and other essentialcare for soldiers.
trained nurses to the world.e. documents were finally approved by existed in the
At that time, no licensing regulations
nursing field, however.
the government. During the wait, the
After North Carolina became the first state to pass a
brothers began establishing
law that helped standardize the field of nursing in
connections in the industry.
1903, other states began to follow suit. The Nurses
Associated Alumnae changed its name to the American
Nurses Association in 1911 and now represents
registered nurses throughout the country. Its mission
Yale Nursing School was
1923: founded
is to create touchstones for the nursing industry and
improve the working environment for registered
nurses.

The first independent nursing school in the United

States, Yale Nursing School accepted women into its
program. This was an uncommon practice in colleges
and universities of that day.
Yale’s Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree program
was established in 1925. Before attending the
program, students had to gain a general college
education elsewhere. That requirement changed in
1934, when students were required to earn a
bachelor’s degree at another college or university
before applying for Yale Nursing School.
1974: The first hospice
program was created
in the US
Florence Wald was interested in nursing after
spending a great deal of time in a hospital as a child
because of a respiratory illness. She worked as a
nurse, professor and researcher throughout her
career.
In the 1960s, Wald started to become interested in
the care of terminally ill patients. She believed that
at that point in their lives, those individuals should
focus on connecting with loved ones instead of
going through treatment after treatment for an
incurable disease. In 1974, Wald launched a hospice
program that provided in-home care for people
with life-threatening diseases.

1992: The first Registered nurse is

elected to the United States
Congress
Eddie Bernice Johnson did not begin her career expecting to go into
politics. Johnson first earned a bachelor’s degree in nursing and then
went on to obtain a Master of Public Administration. She was the first
African American to work as Chief Psychiatric Nurse in the Dallas
Veterans Administration Hospital, where she served for 16 years.
Johnson was elected to the Texas House of Representatives in 1972
and to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1992.
Once nursing education began to develop, the nursing profession grew
rapidly. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, job
opportunities for registered nurses are expected to increase by 16
percent until 2014. Registered nurses manage patient care and provide
emotional guidance and support to patients and their loved ones.
 SDL no. 1
Discuss the profession contributions of
Florence Nightingale to the nursing
profession.
In the Crimean War, she was a nurse who took notice of the
uncleanliness and degradation of the military hospitals. She worked
hard to bring the death rate down by making sanitary
improvements and organizing levels of standards for clean and safe
1911:
hospitals.
Faced with this daunting task, Nightingale implemented
Operations some
began shortly after, when concepts

that are at the core of nursing practice toallthis day:

business permits and other essential
documents were finally approved by
•Infection control – She did this by cleaning the entire
the government. hospital
During the wait, the from top
brothers began establishing
to bottom and requiring proper hygiene, suchin as
connections clean linens, for the
the industry.

soldiers. This is incredible because at the time microbes and the chain of
infection was not known.
•Self-care (requiring patients to do things for themselves in order to gain
independence and promote healing) – Nightingale required the least
infirm patients at the hospital to assist in cleaning it.
•Assessment – She made rounds at night with her lamp, talking to and
assessing the condition of her patients. Nursing assessments are the core
of nursing, and all nursing actions are based on them. With that in
mind, it’s only fitting that her habit of making assessment rounds was
the reason why the soldiers nicknamed her the “the lady with the lamp.”
•Therapeutic communication – During her rounds Nightingale talked
to her patients, offering them empathy and compassion in their moment
of despair.
Spiritual nursing – Nightingale ministered to patients who were dying,
bringing them comfort in their last hour.
•Public health advocacy – Nightingale wrote an 830 page report
analyzing and proposing reforms for military hospitals operating under
poor conditions.

Identify 3 more nurse leaders and

discuss their contribution to the nursing
profession.
CLARA BARTON
Clara Barton abandoned her career as a teacher to
fill a more pressing role in delivering medical
supplies during the American Civil War. Dubbed
the “Angel of the Battlefield” for her relief efforts,
Barton eventually founded the American Red
Cross. She continued her work with the
organization through 1904.
 SDL no. 1

MARY BECKINRIDGE
As a nurse-midwife, Mary Beckinridge introduced
her specialty wherever she practiced. In 1925, she
founded the New Model of Rural Health Care &
1911:
Frontier Nursing Service, which delivers health
care to underserved rural women and children.
Operations began shortly after, when
all business permits and other essential

The organization, which significantly reduces

documents were finally approved by
the government. During the wait, the
brothers began establishing

maternal and infant mortality rates, still operate

connections in the industry.

today.

DOROTHEA DIX
Dorothea Dix established the first mental asylum in
the early 1800s. She advocated for mental health
rights before Massachusetts state legislators and the
United States Congress. Her work shaped current
policies regarding the rights of the mentally ill.