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
Nursing in the United Kingdom a Royal College and a trade union. This dual role was the subject of debate in 2013, and there was a vote on dividing the RCN to form two organisations. 99.4% of voters did not want to divide. Other trade unions that represent healthcare workers are Unite the Union, UNISON and GMB. Royal College of Nursing is a membership organisation and trade union. The Queen's Nursing Institute (QNI) is a registered charity, which until the 1960s trained district nurses. Guild of Nursing – A newly formed body that aims to represent Nurses. The Florence Nightingale Foundation supports nurses and midwives