Johns Hopkins School of Nursing celebrates 130 years

Opening its doors in October 1889, the Johns Hopkins School of Nursing—established as a hospital training school—would become a national model for nursing education. Laying its foundation with such pioneer nurses as Isabel Hampton Robb, Lavinia Dock, Adelaide Nutting, Elsie Lawler, Anna D. Wolf, and generations of others, the school is now the No. 1 graduate nursing school in the nation.

This past weekend, the School of Nursing kicked off its commemoration of the 130th anniversary of its founding—a celebration that will continue through October 2019 and highlight the school's continuing leadership in nursing education, research, and practice, locally and globally.

"As we celebrate this milestone anniversary, it is truly meaningful to see that our vision to empower and educate nurses has not wavered since our founding and is just as purposeful today as it was 130 years ago," says Patricia Davidson, dean of the nursing school. "Hopkins nurses, across the generations, are united through our tremendous knowledge, insight, skill, leadership, and cultural competence. Not only are we commemorating the nursing legacy that has strengthened us in the past, but also our future work and the impact we will continue to have on health care, the profession, and the well-being of communities across the world."

The school became a degree-granting division of the greater Johns Hopkins University in 1984, after its long history in leadership and innovation. It has since expanded its programs to include a full-range of opportunities for students. The now all-graduate curriculum offers masters and doctoral degrees, post-degree certification, post-doctoral opportunities, prerequisite courses, and more. Today, the school consistently remains top-ranked in the nation and world for its education, research, and practice and is devoted to fostering diversity, leadership, and excellence in scholarship.

Throughout their history, the school and nurses in the Johns Hopkins Health System have partnered in education, practice, and research. The Johns Hopkins-affiliated hospitals provide student education and clinical placement opportunities, and both institutions maintain a vision for person-centered care, leading health care reform, and partnering in education and community health efforts.

Most recently, the School of Nursing appointed Deborah Baker, senior vice president for nursing at the Johns Hopkins Health System and vice president for nursing and patient care services at the Johns Hopkins Hospital, to serve as the school's associate dean for health systems partnership and innovation. Through her position, she will formally strengthen the school-health system alignment by providing a more seamless union between learning and application and developing workforce readiness.

To learn about more the School of Nursing milestone, follow #HopkinsNursing130.