Nurse education qualification courses have graduate status. Traditionally, from the times prior to Florence Nightingale, nursing was seen as an apprenticeship, often undertaken in religious institutes such as convents by young women, although there has always been a proportion of male nurses, especially in mental health services. In 1860 Nightingale set up the first nurse training school at St Thomas' Hospital, London. Nightingale's curriculum was largely base around nursing practice, with instruction focused upon the need for hygiene and task competence. Her methods are reflected in her "Notes on Nursing", (1898). Some other nurses at that time, notably Ethel Gordon Fenwick, were
Florence Nightingale Foundation promoting innovation in practice. It achieves this through educational programmes, leadership development and clinical nursing research involvement, including the development of the Florence Nightingale Foundation Chairs in Clinical Nursing Practice Research. The Foundation’s scholarships are designed to enhance the special contribution of nursing and midwifery to society, promoting innovation in practice and improving patient care. The Foundation has three categories of scholarships: The Florence Nightingale Foundation hosts several events throughout the course of the year. These events are held annually such as The Florence Nightingale Commemoration Service at Westminster Abbey, The Florence Nightingale Foundation Annual Conference and Charity Gala Dinner.