Which school began accepting students in 1923 and is considered the first autonomous college of nursing in the United States?

Which school began accepting students in 1923 and is considered the first autonomous college of nursing in the United States?

• A. Yale School of Nursing
• B. Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing
• C. University of Chicago School of Nursing
• D. University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing

Answer: (A)

Autonomy in nursing education means a program that operates as its own degree-granting college or school, separate from a hospital or medical school, with its own governance and curriculum. In 1923, Yale opened the Yale School of Nursing and began accepting students, marking the first autonomous nursing college in the United States. This established a new standard for nursing education as a professional, university-affiliated discipline rather than a hospital diploma program. The other institutions listed had significant nursing programs, but they did not start as independent, degree-granting nursing colleges at that time, so they don’t fit this milestone.

Autonomy in nursing education means a program that operates as its own degree-granting college or school, separate from a hospital or medical school, with its own governance and curriculum. In 1923, Yale opened the Yale School of Nursing and began accepting students, marking the first autonomous nursing college in the United States. This established a new standard for nursing education as a professional, university-affiliated discipline rather than a hospital diploma program. The other institutions listed had significant nursing programs, but they did not start as independent, degree-granting nursing colleges at that time, so they don’t fit this milestone.