The history of nursing is intertwined with the history of nursing education and nursing s quest for a professional identity.

Education has been vital in providing the knowledge, skills, and ability to give quality care to our patients, elevating nursing to a profession and gaining the respect of other professions.

Nursing began because somebody cared somebody who had compassion for a fellow human being (Benson 2001, 1).

There are biblical accounts of Phoebe, friend of Saint Paul, whom history has named the first deaconess and the first visiting nurse. It is recorded that she went from home to home where there was illness, out of the kindness of her heart. Public health nursing is an outgrowth of visiting nursing or district nursing, so we look to the first century of the Christian era when people were moved to sympathy and love to visit and care for the sick and suffering. The first organized visiting of the sick in their homes began in those early days when the church established the order of deaconesses and charged them with the Christian duty of visiting and caring for those who were sick or in need (Brainard 1922)
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Early religious values such as self-denial, spiritual calling and devotion to duty and hard work have dominated nursing

Care was done by crusaders/order of knights Knights of Saint John of Jerusalem/ Knights Hospitalers (Italian) Teutonic knights(german) cared for the injured and established hospitals in the military camps

Knights of Saint Lazarus (cares for people with leprosy, syphilis and chronic skin conditions)

- Nursing became the work of the least desirable of women prostitutes, alcoholics, prisoners
Professional Organizations: American Society of Superintendents of Training Schools for Nurses (1893)

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Purpose the establishment and maintenance of a universal standard of training for nursing Name changed to:National League for Nursing Education (NLNE) 1912

Nurses Associated Alumnae of United States and Canada (1896) Sponsored by Society of Superintendents of Training Schools
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Purpose: "To establish and maintain a code of ethics; to elevate the standards of nursing education; to promote the usefulness and honor, the financial and other interests of nursing." Minutes of the Association, February, 1897 Name changed to American Nurses Association - 1912

Licensure and Registration for Nurses:

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North Carolina (1903); New York State (1904) Aim to protect the public: Differentiate nurses with education, who have met the standards of the profession from those who with little or no education and therefore have not met the standards of the profession.

I States set standards in order to become a registered nurse:

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Need a diploma from an approved (accredited) school Pass a standard examination "State Boards" (1913) At one time, needed reference from the superintendent of your school attesting to your moral character

Video- 1940 s This 1940 s vocational film explores the ever important field of nursing. Choosing a nursing school, what qualifications the school requires, state licensing examinations, choosing a specialty, private nursing, and public health nursing are all examined in detail. Many fascinating scenes showing women training in laboratories, practicing on each other, treating patients, and taking tests are shown. The film comments that men can be nurses too, but are generally employed by psychiatric hospitals and heavy industries. Overall, this film illuminates what nursing was like in the 1940s in an engaging manner.  DEVELOPMENT AND TRENDS: contemporary period  W.H.O established by U.N to fight diseases by providing health information, proper nutrition, living standard, environmental conditions.

 The use of Atomic energy for diagnosis and treatment.  Space Medicine and Aerospace Nursing  Medical equipment and machines for diagnosis and treatment  Health related laws  Primary Health Care Nurses involvement in CHN  Utilization of computers  Technology advances such as development of disposable equipment and supplies that relieved the tedious task of Nurses.  Development of the expanded role of Nurses