Education for Nursing: A History of the University of Minnesota School

Education for Nursing was first published in 1960. Minnesota Archive Editions uses digital technology to make long-unavailable books once again accessible, and are published unaltered from the original University of Minnesota Press editions.In the history of nursing in modern times, the University of Minnesota School of Nursing has played a distinguished and significant role as the first training center of its kind sponsored by an institution of higher learning. James Gray tells the story of this pioneering educational experiment in a perceptive and highly readable account.When the Minnesota School was established in 1909, nursing was just beginning to emerge from its status as humble handmaiden to the medical profession. A highly articulate group of leaders among nurses themselves in that period began to insist on the importance of giving the student a broad background in biological science and a full experience in clinical practice. At this same time, there happened to be a member of the faculty of the University of Minnesota medical school, Dr. Richard Olding Beard, who believed in the importance of well-prepared nurses in the campaign for better health. Along with the dean of the medical school, Dr. Elias P. Lyon, he worked steadily to create at Minnesota a system of instruction which would fit a carefully selected candidate to assume an ever increasing share of responsibility for patient care. A fortunate selection of directors has kept the Minnesota School of Nursing well in the forefront of study, experiment, and innovation in methods of instruction. The school has, from its start, assumed leadership for the improvement of nursing education and it looks forward to an equally important responsibility in providing the profession with workers in the research field.