5 fun facts about nursing students

 

 

Is it true that nurses are just doctor wannabes? Find out the statistic about nursing education that handily debunks this myth, plus four more fun facts that will prove to be food for thought the next time you set foot in a classroom.

 

1. First, let’s debunk a myth. Ever heard the phrase “Nurses are just doctor wannabes”? If this is true, why are nurses almost 100 times more likely to go on to graduate from nursing school than medical school?

 

2. Just a century ago, nurses weren’t allowed to be married…and certainly not pregnant. It was almost 100 years ago (in 1919) that Great Britain established the first oversight nursing training and standards. Conditions have certainly changed since then—nurses are now allowed to be married and even work while pregnant.

 

3. Meet the first U.S. nurse. In 1873, Linda Richards became the first nurse to earn a nursing diploma in the United States. The first hospital nursing school on record was established in Germany in 1864.

 

4. And the first nursing masters degree? Columbia University School of Nursing was the first university to offer a master’s degree in a clinical nursing specialty, in 1956. It’s estimated that 13 percent of the nursing population, or 377,046, have a master’s or doctoral degree.

 

5. Nursing is a popular choice of study. Nursing students make up more than half of all students in all health programs. This shouldn’t be surprising. Nurses comprise the largest group of healthcare professionals in primary and long-term care.