The History of Nursing Education
Nursing as a profession is a relatively recent development in our society, as is formal nursing education. However, once established, the nursing profession evolved rapidly. Today's nurses are responsible for duties that range from basic patient care to highly specialized treatments that were once the exclusive domain of physicians, and nursing education has kept pace with the increasingly-challenging demands of the profession.
Other People Are Reading
-
Traditional Family Nursing
-
Nursing education, in its earliest form, was an informal affair, passed down from one generation to another, generally among women, for the purpose of dealing with family illnesses. Even early nursing manuals were written primarily for women in the home, teaching them the latest methods of caring for sick family members, treating and bandaging wounds and assisting in the birthing of babies.
Early Nursing Education
-
As nursing evolved from the household practice of caring for family members into the professional realm, the first nursing education took place in hospitals. Practicing nurses would instruct and mentor students, teaching them the skills necessary to care for patients admitted to their wards. This method, however, often left significant gaps of knowledge, with nurses learning only about diseases, conditions, and injuries encountered within their own direct experience.
-
Origins of Formal Nursing Education
-
Among the early proponents of a more organized form of nursing education was Clara Barton, through her work during the Civil War (1861-1865), in developing a systematic approach to delivering aid, assistance, and medical supplies to wounded soldiers. During the early 1900s, a more standardized and comprehensive approach to nursing education began to emerge. Among the concerns that gave rise to this change were high patient mortality rates and the need to control infectious diseases.
Official Recognition of Formal Nursing Education
-
In the United States, the movement for formal nursing education began in earnest with the establishment of the Army Nurse Corps, authorized by Congress in 1901. This program was designed to train nurses in the techniques of acute, life-saving care on the battlefield, as well as preventing infection and the spread of contagious disease as soldiers healed from wounds. This official recognition of the need for more formalized training for nurses was the catalyst for the development of our modern system of nursing education, spurring many colleges to establish nursing education programs.
Modern Nursing Education
-
Today, nursing programs have grown from those early lessons on cleaning bedpans and making bandages to a comprehensive educational experience. Nurses who graduate today are skilled professionals, trained to work in the challenging and competitive field of modern medical technology. There are hundreds of specialties to choose among as one considers a career in nursing, with educational requirements that range from a nursing certificate to master's degree, and thousands of colleges, hospital programs, vocational and trade schools offering widely varied nursing education programs and courses.
-
