Originally, women were the primary nursing providers and no formal training was available. In England in the 1800s, Florence Nightingale led the push to formalize nursing education with regulations and standards. The United States quickly adopted similar regulations, and the Nurses Associated Alumnae was established in 1897 to regulate nursing colleges.
Many states established nursing certification and licensing laws in the early 1900s in order to ensure that patients received adequate care. A few states such as Virginia and New Jersey incorporated even stricter standards for nursing schools. During this period, nurses also started working outside the hospital at doctors' offices and clinics.
With the advent of World War I nurses were in great demand, and injuries sustained by new modern weapons raised the need for advanced education in order for nurses to learn how to deal with these new challenges. After the war there were so many nurses that it was difficult to employ them all. This surplus of nurses continued though the Great Depression.
When World War II broke out there was another resurgence in the need for nurses. The government offered attractive incentives to entice women into the nursing profession. These incentives included free tuition, stipends, and free housing. During this time the U.S. Cadet Nurses Corps was established, providing training and recruitment services from 1943 to 1949.
In 1952, associate's degree programs were introduced in the United States. These degrees are for the most part offered through community colleges. Emphasizing technical, biological, and behavioral sciences, the associate's degree in nursing is a two-year program. On completion of the program, graduates take their state's licensing exam, which allows them to use the registered nurse (RN) title.
After the 1950s, the National League for Nursing was established, their purpose being to accredit both two- and four-year nursing colleges. Another association, called the American Association of Colleges of Nursing, now accredits only four-year colleges. Although nursing has been predominantly a female occupation, men have served as nurses throughout history, gaining in numbers over time. In 1971, an organization called The American Assembly For Men in Nursing was formed to promote men in American nursing.
America's aging baby boomer population has once again increased the demand for nurses. Today the government is trying to attract people to nursing with free tuition and grants. In addition to the traditional two- and four-year degree programs, nurses can now pursue certification in many different specialties. See resources for a list of specialty certification bodies. In addition to specialty certification, nurses often now advance their education to become nurse practitioners (NPs). NPs provide services similar to physicians such as diagnosing and treating illness and ailments.