Nursing History at NMU

Northern’s School of Nursing prepares practical nurses, registered nurses at the bachelor degree level, master level nurses in administration and advanced practice.

As early as 1939, nursing courses were offered at NMU as pre-professional courses designed to prepare future nurses for additional schooling. Between 1963 and 1968, a baccalaureate nursing program was developed. In 1969, a baccalaureate nursing curriculum was offered to students. Margaret Rettig and Lulu Ervast were instrumental in establishing the four-year nursing program at Northern.

Practical nursing (LPN) at Northern began in 1958. It was a one-year training course designed to provide school and clinical training that would result in the mastery of knowledge and skills needed to perform the duties of a practical nurse. In 1990, the practical nursing program went from giving a non-academic diploma to an academic certificate program. In 2006-07, the surgical technology program, a one-year certificate, was moved from the Practical Nursing Department to Clinical Sciences.

The School of Nursing and Allied Health was created by the NMU Board of Control in 1968. In 1974, the name was changed to the School of Nursing and Allied Health Sciences. The name was changed to College by Board action on July 1, 1992.  Throughout that time period nursing and all related allied health programs, including all of the clinical sciences programs, were together as an administrative unit.  In 2000, the College of Nursing and Allied Health was dissolved with the nursing programs creating the School of Nursing within the College of Professional Studies.

Nursing has always been one of the most popular majors at NMU. In fall 2007, it was the most popular undergraduate program with more than 580 bachelor’s and practical nursing students.

Source: A Sense of Time: The Encyclopedia of Northern Michigan University.