Nursing by the Numbers

The field of nursing is regarded as a science and a serious academic pursuit, but that wasn’t always the case.

When the UW began offering nurses’ training in the 1920s, the program’s director, Helen Denne Schulte, faced an uphill battle. A previous attempt at a program had closed during its first semester, and she encountered skepticism from UW president Edward Birge that parents would find enrolling their daughters a worthwhile investment. He assured her that there was “no money” for the program. Beyond that, Denne Schulte had a hard time convincing faculty that it was worth their time to teach nursing classes. But she persisted, and in 1924, the University of Wisconsin launched one of the earliest public nursing programs in the country.

When the first 11 graduates crossed the stage three years later, they earned nursing certificates, which also included a bachelor of science degree in hygiene. Today, the approach to academics has changed, with a greater emphasis on graduate degrees, distance learning, accelerated degrees, innovation, and research, which forms the scientific basis for professional nursing practice. Along with striving to alleviate the shortage of nurses, nursing instructors, and nursing researchers, the UW School of Nursing is focused on addressing disparities in health care and helping to create a more diverse nursing workforce.

The school has been an early adopter of technology, offering its first televised classes in 1963 and its first internet course in 1997. The school’s current home, Signe Scott Cooper Hall, opened in 2014 and includes state-of-the-art patient simulation labs; 25 research suites; and exercise, outdoor, and wellness areas for students. Its high-tech classrooms and flexible layout were designed to allow the school to adapt easily as health care advances and evolving public health scenarios reconfigure the needs of the nursing profession.

The following figures suggest the impact the School of Nursing has on the world today.