Florence Nightingale was a nurse who started the nursing training programme in 1860 after the Crimean War. During that war, a lot of women committed themselves to give care for the sick and dying soldiers. The success in their work was evidenced by reduction in mortality and improved prognosis among those injured in the war. Nurses became an indispensable part of the military during that time due to their life-saving work. After the war, nurse training schools were established under the Florence Nightingale model in order to use nurses throughout society (Woolsey, 1950; Dock, 1907). In 1873 the first three training schools were established in New York, New Haven, and Boston. Students were able to attain their nursing education and skills training in two to three years. Society began to refer to these nurses as trained nurses as they were among the first to undergo formal schooling for nursing care. In 1912 the American Nurses Association (ANA) focused on obtaining legal recognition for trained nurses.
In 1951, nurse educator Mildred Montag started a new two year associates degree program in nursing in order to produce trained nurses who would assist professional, baccalaureate prepared nurses. Her aim was not to replace the baccalaureate degree program with the associate degree program.
The American Association of College of Nursing (AACN) believes that education has a significant impact on the knowledge competencies of nurse clinicians. Nurses with bachelors degrees in nursing are well equipped to meet the demand placed on today’s nurse especially because their curriculum places great emphasis on critical thinking. BSN nurses are also trained in case management, health promotion, and this in depth learning makes them highly versatile in that they are able to practice across a variety of inpatient and outpatient settings. Recent studies have indicated that, in the acute care setting, the mortality rate is reduced
References: American Association of college of nursing/the impact of education on nursing practice. http://www.aacn.nche.edu/media-relations/fact-sheets/impact-of-education Conceptional foundation-The bridge to professional nursing practice 5th edition. http://cms.cerrtos.edu/registered-nurse/competencies-expected of-and.htn http://www.aacn.nche.edu/media-relatives/fact-sheets/impact-of-education http://www.aacn.nche.edu/media-relations/nursing workforce.pdf Rambur,B, Palumbo,M.V ,Mcintosh,B and Mongeon,j(2003).A state wide analysis of RN’S intention to leave their position.Nursing outlook,51 182-88. Dock: In a history of nursing. Vol 2,1907,G.P. Putnam’s sons ,New York.