History of Registered Nursing

Medieval Times

Sep 17, 1500

Nursing dates back to the medieval times when nuns function as nurses to injured Christian warriors. Nursing back then relied highly on doctors orders and thus termed as the intuitve era of nursing.

1834

Sep 17, 1834

It was during the advent of the Crimean War where in an English nurse Florence Nightingale laid the foundations of nursing education. She authored a book called "Notes on Nursing" where she defines the roles and responsibilities of a nurse.

1901

Sep 17, 1901

In 1901, New Zealand founded the first formal registration of nurses through their Nurses Registration Act. Ellen Dougherty is the first registered nurse in history.

1903

Sep 17, 1903

In 1903, North Carolina was the first state to embrace the nursing licensure law in the United States. The registration of nurses paved the way for more autonomy in terms of nursing practice, which includes prescription of medications and making referrals.

1917-1919

Sep 17, 1917

Nurses served during World War One. Nurses were deployed from the U.S Navy Nursing Corps as well as those from the American Red Cross. Some nurses were dispatched as special operating teams, who served specifically close to the front lines.

1923

Sep 17, 1923

The Yale University School of Nursing is founded as the first independent nursing school, based on a university system. All other schools up until this time were associated with hospitals.

1946

Sep 17, 1946

The divison of Nursing Research within the Public Health service was formed as an important step of federal government into the work of nursing resarch.

1950

Sep 17, 1950

The earlist intensive care units were formed to handle patients who were extermely sick, injured, or dying. The units brought about a specialty within nursing to created critical care nurses.

1990

Sep 17, 1990

Nursing uniforms and dresses give way to more comfortable and flexible clothing nurses being to wear shirts and pants to work, also commonly referred to as "scrubs".

1998

Sep 17, 1998

The National coalition of Ethnic Miniority Nurse Associations was founded. The group is a collaboration of associations for Asian American, Pacific Islander, Native American, Hispanic, Black and Philippine nurses.