School of Nursing

University of Michigan Training School For Nurses, Class of 1900

The University of Michigan Training School For Nurses began holding classes in the winter of 1891. After a month-long probationary period, the nursing students were instructed to report to the operating room in uniform and with the added warning: "do not disgrace yourselves by fainting.¹" Despite initital hardships, seven nursing students graduated from the two year program in 1893. 

Sample of a nurse's uniform from the mid 20th century

Michigan nurses were highly independent. Students established their own judiciary council and lived in their own separate building, the Nurses Central Residence. Graduates quickly organized their own Alumnae Association in 1900.² Nursing students received a strong and highly respected education through their practical training in the University Hospital and theoretical training from capable faculty.

In the mid 20th century, the School of Nursing formally changed its name and became a teaching unit within the university. In 1952, the Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree was granted to the first students.³ The School of Nursing students, faculty, and alumni have served the country in times of conflict and led their peers in discovering and implementing best practices for over 125 years.