The History of Nursing Occupations

Tending to the infirm required no experience prior to the mid-1800s. By the early 1900s, changes in medical care helped nursing become the organized profession that it is today.

Nursing Founder

• In 1854, Britain's Florence Nightingale, a trained nurse, traveled to Turkey to care for wounded British soldiers during the Crimean War. Appalled at the unsanitary hospital conditions there, Nightingale and her team of 38 nurses proceeded to clean the facility and sterilize all medical equipment, which led to an increase in the patient survival rate. The hospital's reputation improved, along with standards in the nursing profession under Florence Nightingale's guidance. She is known as the founder of modern nursing.

Early Responsibilities

• A century ago, hospitals were the sole providers of nursing education. New students worked 10 to 12 hour shifts every day of the week. Their duties included washing dishes, and scouring and sterilizing operating rooms and equipment. Upon graduation, only minimum wage positions for private-duty nurses were available.

Recognition

• During World War II, nurses administered treatment to injured soldiers. In 1943, the Cadet Nurse Corps program financed education for nursing students for the duration of the war. Within three years of the war's end, over 100,000 nurses were trained, enhancing their professional image.

Specialized Nurses

• Following the soldiers' return home from World War II, the field of nursing broadened into other areas. Labor-delivery, pediatric, psychiatric, oncology and medical-surgical are some expanded specialized nursing jobs.

Nursing Shortage

• In the 1980s a shortage of nurses across the United States led to the formation of the travel nursing industry. Also, passage of a bill in 1989 lifted immigration quotas, allowing foreign nurses to apply for permanent residence in the United States.

Future Demand

• Highly respected nursing occupations today include Registered Nurses, Licensed Practical Nurses and Advanced Practice Registered Nurses. Positions for Registered Nurses alone are expected to grow at least 27 percent by 2014, making caregivers in this profession among the most sought after in the United States.