In the first half of the 19th century, men and women with little or no training made up the field of nursing. It was clear that education programs were needed, so many hospitals established training schools for nurses. Woman’s Hospital of Philadelphia established a school of nursing in 1863 and was the first such school to award a diploma, on this date in 1865. Harriet N. Phillips is listed as the first nurse to receive a diploma at the school, which also used Blockley Hospital and Pennsylvania Hospital as co-training facilities in the early years. The School of Nursing was closed in 1964 and the following year, Woman’s Hospital became part of the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania.

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