31 Fascinating Facts about Nurses

By James Israelsen, Associate Writer

Published July 16, 2022Updated February 18, 2025

Britishwoman Florence Nightingale is credited with the establishment of modern nursing practices. Before her work, nursing the sick was not seen as a respectable career._[1]
While the predominant practitioners of nursing have historically been female, male nursing is on the rise. As of 2021, 12% of US nurses were male, up from just 2.7% in 1970._[10]
While modern nursing dates back only a few hundred years, ancient Romans had a version of the profession as early as 300 CE._[10]
Because Catholic nuns often served as nurses, it became common for Europeans to refer to nurses as "Sister." The practice is declining, however, as more men enter the profession._[10]
The word "nurse" comes from a Latin word that refers to suckling infants._[10]
In 1925, nurse Mary Breckinridge created the Frontier Nursing Service, a Kentucky organization that sent female nurses out on horseback to care for thousands of rural patients._[6]

Both the Catholic and Orthodox churches revere beloved caregiver Saint Helena

Saint Helena, mother of Roman emperor Constantine the Great, is believed to have created the first nursing home for the elderly in the 3rd century AD._[10]
Famous male historical figures who served as nurses include Saint Basil, Saint Benedict, and William Rathbone._[10]
The first educator to teach nursing skills as part of her curriculum was Roman noblewoman Saint Marcella, who died in 410 AD._[10]
The first known visiting nurse was a Roman woman named Phoebe, who gained even greater fame as a confidante of the Apostle Paul._[10]
The root word for "nursing" is the same as that for "nourish," "nutrition," and "nursery."_[10]
The first district nurse, the first educator of nurses, and two of the first founders of hospitals and hospices were all wealthy, noble-born women of ancient Rome._[10]
In the United States, nurses who have just graduated take an oath called the Nightingale Pledge, adapted from the Hippocratic Oath taken by doctors._[10]
In an annual Gallup poll, nursing has been ranked as America's most honest and ethical profession 14 different times._[8]
Nineteenth-century nursing pioneer Florence Nightingale was nicknamed the "Lady with the Lamp."_[5]

Nightingale rose to prominence within the profession during the Crimean War (1853–56)

There are around 3.6 million nurses in America._[8]
There are over 100 different areas of nursing specialization._[8]
There are more people employed as nurses than in any other healthcare profession._[8]
Early doctors, or "medicine men" in the ancient world, were often assisted by mothers, who performed the duties of a nurse._[8]
As of 2021, the average registered nurse in the United States made around $75,000 a year._[3]
State laws recognize two kinds of professional nurses: licensed practical nurses (LPN) and registered nurses (RN)._[8]
It is estimated that over 220,000 nursing jobs will be created in the United States during the 2020s._[3]
The United States American Nurses Association ended their policy of racially segregating nurses in response to the urgent need for nurses during WWII._[1]

Pictured here is the 25th Station Hospital Unit of U.S. Army Black Nurses In Liberia during WWII

All aspiring nurses in the United States, Canada, and Australia must pass the NCLEX, the National Council Licensure Examination, in order to practice._[8]
A recent ranking of the best healthcare jobs in the United States placed registered nurse at number 14 out of a list of 29._[3]
Professional nurses have only recently begun to perform scientific research on issues in their field._[3]
Registered nurses sometimes specialize in one specific disease or body part._[3]
Florence Nightingale, the founder of modern nursing, turned down a marriage proposal to become a nurse, in spite of her parents' objections._[5]
While nursing has grown more prevalent and sophisticated in South-East Asia in recent years, the World Health Organization estimates that the region will require an additional 7.6 million nurses by 2030._[7]
Nurses make up 59% of the world's healthcare workforce._[9]
Many of the black American nurses to serve during WWII were given the unwelcome task of caring for Nazi prisoners of war, rather than tending to US soldiers._[2]