Nursing has a long and vast history. The actual beginning of nursing is not known. However, the word "nursing" was initially known as another word for breast-feeding. Later it came to refer to a woman employed to breast-feed a child (also known as a wet nurse) or a woman employed to take care of a child (also known as a dry nurse).
Sometime in the 15th century the word began to mean simply helping and advising another, not just a child. Ever since nursing has continued to stand for a similar definition until today.
Before nursing became an occupation, of the sort we have today, nursing services were provided by nuns and the military. In Britain, senior nurses are until today called "sisters".
Florence Nightingale, probably the most well-known historical nursing figure, helped soldiers in the Crimean War (1853 - 1856). It was really after the turn of the century that nursing began to be noticed as an occupation. New Zealand was the first country to regulate nursing nationally, with the passage of the Nursing Registration Act in 1901.
In America, Agnes Elizabeth Jones and Linda Richards established nursing schools. North Carolina was the first state to pass a nursing licensure law, in 1903.
Nursing has come a long way from those early years. However, it has been a somewhat bumpy journey. For many years, nursing was in the shadow of physicians. With most of the public imagining that nurses are no more than "helpers" of doctors.
Part of the job of nurses is to support physicians, however, that is not their only job. Nurses nowadays can be found in a variety of settings, in which there is minimal physician involvement, or none at all.
The modern age of nursing now has nursing degrees and a broad knowledge-base. Nurses are often found in management and research positions as well. It is the golden age of nursing, right now is the best time to be involved in the field of nursing.
