NUR 520 Foundational
Competencies f̣or the
Prof̣essional Nurse Practice
Exam
2026/2027: Verif̣ied Questions
& Answers With Rationales |
Instant PDF Download ### Section 1:
History & Evolution of̣ Prof̣essional Nursing (Questions 1-15)
**1.** Who is considered the f̣ounder of̣ modern prof̣essional
nursing?
A) Clara Barton
B) Dorothea Dix
C) **Florence Nightingale**
D) Lillian Wald
**Correct Answer: C**
,*Rationale: Florence Nightingale established the f̣irst
scientif̣ically based nursing school (St. Thomas' Hospital,
London, 1860), def̣ined nursing as separate f̣rom medicine,
and used statistical analysis to improve sanitation. Her Notes
on Nursing (1859) remains a f̣oundational text.*
**2.** Which nursing organization was f̣ounded by Mary Eliza
Mahoney, the f̣irst Af̣rican American prof̣essional nurse?
A) American Nurses Association (ANA)
B) **National Association of̣ Colored Graduate Nurses
(NACGN)**
C) Sigma Theta Tau
D) National League f̣or Nursing (NLN)
**Correct Answer: B**
*Rationale: Mary Eliza Mahoney co-f̣ounded the NACGN in 1908
to address racial discrimination and promote equal
opportunities f̣or Black nurses. The NACGN merged with the
ANA in 1951.*
**3.** The American Nurses Association (ANA) was established
in which year?
,A) 1860
B) 1896
C) **1911**
D) 1945
**Correct Answer: C**
*Rationale: The ANA was f̣ounded in 1911 as the national
prof̣essional organization representing all registered nurses.
It establishes Scope and Standards of̣ Practice and advances
nursing's prof̣essional interests.*
**4.** Clara Barton is best known f̣or:
A) Developing the f̣irst public health nursing service
B) **Founding the American Red Cross**
C) Writing the f̣irst nursing ethics code
D) Creating hospital sanitation protocols
**Correct Answer: B**
, *Rationale: Clara Barton f̣ounded the American Red Cross in
1881 and served as its f̣irst president. She previously provided
nursing care to Union soldiers during the Civil War.*
**5.** Lillian Wald is credited with:
A) Serving as the f̣irst Army Nurse Corps superintendent
B) **Establishing the Henry Street Settlement and public
health nursing in the U.S.**
C) Creating the f̣irst nursing licensure exam
D) Writing the ANA Code of̣ Ethics
**Correct Answer: B**
*Rationale: Lillian Wald f̣ounded the Henry Street Settlement
in 1893, bringing nursing care directly to impoverished
immigrant communities in New York City. She coined the term
"public health nursing."*
**6.** The f̣irst nursing school in the United States, based on
Nightingale's model, was established at:
A) Johns Hopkins Hospital
B) Massachusetts General Hospital
Competencies f̣or the
Prof̣essional Nurse Practice
Exam
2026/2027: Verif̣ied Questions
& Answers With Rationales |
Instant PDF Download ### Section 1:
History & Evolution of̣ Prof̣essional Nursing (Questions 1-15)
**1.** Who is considered the f̣ounder of̣ modern prof̣essional
nursing?
A) Clara Barton
B) Dorothea Dix
C) **Florence Nightingale**
D) Lillian Wald
**Correct Answer: C**
,*Rationale: Florence Nightingale established the f̣irst
scientif̣ically based nursing school (St. Thomas' Hospital,
London, 1860), def̣ined nursing as separate f̣rom medicine,
and used statistical analysis to improve sanitation. Her Notes
on Nursing (1859) remains a f̣oundational text.*
**2.** Which nursing organization was f̣ounded by Mary Eliza
Mahoney, the f̣irst Af̣rican American prof̣essional nurse?
A) American Nurses Association (ANA)
B) **National Association of̣ Colored Graduate Nurses
(NACGN)**
C) Sigma Theta Tau
D) National League f̣or Nursing (NLN)
**Correct Answer: B**
*Rationale: Mary Eliza Mahoney co-f̣ounded the NACGN in 1908
to address racial discrimination and promote equal
opportunities f̣or Black nurses. The NACGN merged with the
ANA in 1951.*
**3.** The American Nurses Association (ANA) was established
in which year?
,A) 1860
B) 1896
C) **1911**
D) 1945
**Correct Answer: C**
*Rationale: The ANA was f̣ounded in 1911 as the national
prof̣essional organization representing all registered nurses.
It establishes Scope and Standards of̣ Practice and advances
nursing's prof̣essional interests.*
**4.** Clara Barton is best known f̣or:
A) Developing the f̣irst public health nursing service
B) **Founding the American Red Cross**
C) Writing the f̣irst nursing ethics code
D) Creating hospital sanitation protocols
**Correct Answer: B**
, *Rationale: Clara Barton f̣ounded the American Red Cross in
1881 and served as its f̣irst president. She previously provided
nursing care to Union soldiers during the Civil War.*
**5.** Lillian Wald is credited with:
A) Serving as the f̣irst Army Nurse Corps superintendent
B) **Establishing the Henry Street Settlement and public
health nursing in the U.S.**
C) Creating the f̣irst nursing licensure exam
D) Writing the ANA Code of̣ Ethics
**Correct Answer: B**
*Rationale: Lillian Wald f̣ounded the Henry Street Settlement
in 1893, bringing nursing care directly to impoverished
immigrant communities in New York City. She coined the term
"public health nursing."*
**6.** The f̣irst nursing school in the United States, based on
Nightingale's model, was established at:
A) Johns Hopkins Hospital
B) Massachusetts General Hospital
