<P> Before the foundation of modern nursing, members of religious orders such as nuns and monks often provided nursing - like care . Examples exist in Christian, Islamic and Buddhist traditions amongst others . Phoebe, mentioned in Romans 16 has been described in many sources as "the first visiting nurse". These traditions were influential in the development of the ethos of modern nursing . The religious roots of modern nursing remain in evidence today in many countries . One example in the United Kingdom is the use of the historical title "sister" to refer to a senior nurse in the past . </P> <P> During the Reformation of the 16th century, Protestant reformers shut down the monasteries and convents, allowing a few hundred municipal hospices to remain in operation in northern Europe . Those nuns who had been serving as nurses were given pensions or told to get married and stay home . Nursing care went to the inexperienced as traditional caretakers, rooted in the Roman Catholic Church, were removed from their positions . The nursing profession suffered a major setback for approximately 200 years . </P> <P> Florence Nightingale laid the foundations of professional nursing after the Crimean War . Her Notes on Nursing (1859) became popular . The Nightingale model of professional education, having set up the first school of nursing that is connected to a continuously operating hospital and medical school, spread widely in Europe and North America after 1870 . Nightingale was also a pioneer of the graphical presentation of statistical data . </P> <P> Other important nurses in the development of the profession include: </P>

Who established the first higher education program for nurses