Three nursing traditions have influenced nursing practice and education in Europe; The Catholic Tradition, The Deaconess Tradition and The British Nursing Tradition - often called the Nightingale Tradition.

We have chosen to present them as three separate traditions even though they hardly are separable.  The first nursing schools in Europe were established upon a combination of knowledge and competence from all traditions.

The module also highlights aspects with the European society in which modern nursing emerged in the mid-19^th century, especially nursing related to infectious diseases,  nursing as a female occupation and the religious influence on nursing.