NU 131 NURSING AND HEALTHCARE 1 (PDF) | 2026 EXAM
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS + RATIONALES | STUDY GUIDE |
100% CORRECT
1. Which historical figure is considered the founder of modern nursing and emphasized the
impact of environment on health?
A) Clara Barton
B) Lillian Wald
C) Florence Nightingale
D) Dorothea Dix
Correct Answer: C) Florence Nightingale
Rationale: Florence Nightingale established modern nursing principles, stressing cleanliness,
fresh air, and careful observation . She reformed hospital sanitation and founded the first secular
nursing school. Clara Barton founded the American Red Cross, Lillian Wald pioneered public
health nursing, and Dorothea Dix advocated for the mentally ill.
2. Who founded the American Red Cross in 1881?
A) Florence Nightingale
B) Mary Seacole
C) Clara Barton
D) Linda Richards
Correct Answer: C) Clara Barton
Rationale: Clara Barton is known for founding the American Red Cross in 1881 . Her work as a
nurse and humanitarian during the Civil War led her to establish this organization. Florence
Nightingale founded modern nursing, Mary Seacole was a Jamaican nurse who cared for soldiers
in Crimea, and Linda Richards was the first American-trained nurse.
3. Lillian Wald is considered the founder of which type of nursing?
A) Psychiatric nursing
B) Public health nursing
C) Military nursing
D) Pediatric nursing
Correct Answer: B) Public health nursing
Rationale: Lillian Wald is considered the founder of public health nursing . She established the
Henry Street Settlement in New York to provide nursing services to immigrant communities,
demonstrating how to improve health in communities through community-based nursing .
4. Dorothea Dix is primarily remembered for her work advocating for:
A) The training of nurses in the United States
B) The establishment of the Red Cross
, C) Humane treatment for the mentally ill
D) The founding of public health nursing
Correct Answer: C) Humane treatment for the mentally ill
Rationale: Dorothea Dix is best known for her advocacy work to improve the treatment of the
mentally ill . She lobbied state legislatures to establish humane mental hospitals and served as
Superintendent of Female Nurses during the Civil War.
5. Mary Seacole is historically significant in nursing because she:
A) Was the first nurse to use antiseptic techniques
B) Served as a nurse during the Crimean War and used her knowledge of herbal
medicines to treat soldiers
C) Founded the first nursing school in the United States
D) Wrote the first nursing textbook
Correct Answer: B) Served as a nurse during the Crimean War and used her knowledge of herbal
medicines to treat soldiers
Rationale: Mary Seacole was a Jamaican nurse who traveled to Crimea to nurse soldiers during
the war . She established the British Hotel, providing care, food, and supplies to wounded
soldiers using her knowledge of tropical medicine and herbs.
6. The first American trained nurse, who also developed a system for charting and keeping
patient records, was:
A) Mary Mahoney
B) Linda Richards
C) Lillian Wald
D) Isabel Hampton Robb
Correct Answer: B) Linda Richards
Rationale: Linda Richards graduated from the New England Hospital for Women and Children
in 1873, becoming America's first professionally trained nurse . She introduced the practice of
keeping written patient records and founded several nursing schools.
7. Mary Mahoney is historically significant as the:
A) First nurse to serve in the U.S. Congress
B) Founder of the American Nurses Association
C) First African American trained nurse in the United States
D) Developer of the first nursing textbook
Correct Answer: C) First African American trained nurse in the United States
Rationale: Mary Eliza Mahoney graduated from the New England Hospital for Women and
Children in 1879, becoming the first African American trained nurse . She co-founded the
National Association of Colored Graduate Nurses and advocated for equal opportunities in
nursing.
, 8. The first school of nursing, where Florence Nightingale received training, was located in:
A) London, England
B) Kaiserswerth, Germany
C) Paris, France
D) Edinburgh, Scotland
Correct Answer: B) Kaiserswerth, Germany
Rationale: The Kaiserswerth Deaconess Institute, founded in 1836, trained Nightingale and
influenced her later work . She attended for several months in 1851, learning basic nursing care
and hospital organization.
9. Which state was the first to license practical nurses?
A) New York
B) California
C) Mississippi
D) Massachusetts
Correct Answer: C) Mississippi
Rationale: Mississippi passed the first practical nurse licensure law in 1914, setting a precedent
for vocational nursing regulation . New York was first to license registered nurses. The early
licensure movement aimed to protect the public by establishing minimum competency standards
for practitioners .
10. The Nurse Practice Act (NPA) is based on state legislation that:
A) Defines the roles of all healthcare workers
B) Regulates nursing practice and protects the public
C) Establishes a national nursing curriculum
D) Determines hospital staffing ratios
Correct Answer: B) Regulates nursing practice and protects the public
Rationale: The Nurse Practice Act is based on state legislation that regulates nursing practice,
aimed at protecting the public, making nurses accountable for their actions, and establishing
State Boards of Nursing . It defines nursing, sets educational qualifications and legal titles, and
establishes State Boards of Nursing to enforce standards.
11. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), health is best defined as:
A) The absence of disease or infirmity
B) A state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being
C) The ability to perform activities of daily living independently
D) A balance between physical and emotional states
Correct Answer: B) A state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS + RATIONALES | STUDY GUIDE |
100% CORRECT
1. Which historical figure is considered the founder of modern nursing and emphasized the
impact of environment on health?
A) Clara Barton
B) Lillian Wald
C) Florence Nightingale
D) Dorothea Dix
Correct Answer: C) Florence Nightingale
Rationale: Florence Nightingale established modern nursing principles, stressing cleanliness,
fresh air, and careful observation . She reformed hospital sanitation and founded the first secular
nursing school. Clara Barton founded the American Red Cross, Lillian Wald pioneered public
health nursing, and Dorothea Dix advocated for the mentally ill.
2. Who founded the American Red Cross in 1881?
A) Florence Nightingale
B) Mary Seacole
C) Clara Barton
D) Linda Richards
Correct Answer: C) Clara Barton
Rationale: Clara Barton is known for founding the American Red Cross in 1881 . Her work as a
nurse and humanitarian during the Civil War led her to establish this organization. Florence
Nightingale founded modern nursing, Mary Seacole was a Jamaican nurse who cared for soldiers
in Crimea, and Linda Richards was the first American-trained nurse.
3. Lillian Wald is considered the founder of which type of nursing?
A) Psychiatric nursing
B) Public health nursing
C) Military nursing
D) Pediatric nursing
Correct Answer: B) Public health nursing
Rationale: Lillian Wald is considered the founder of public health nursing . She established the
Henry Street Settlement in New York to provide nursing services to immigrant communities,
demonstrating how to improve health in communities through community-based nursing .
4. Dorothea Dix is primarily remembered for her work advocating for:
A) The training of nurses in the United States
B) The establishment of the Red Cross
, C) Humane treatment for the mentally ill
D) The founding of public health nursing
Correct Answer: C) Humane treatment for the mentally ill
Rationale: Dorothea Dix is best known for her advocacy work to improve the treatment of the
mentally ill . She lobbied state legislatures to establish humane mental hospitals and served as
Superintendent of Female Nurses during the Civil War.
5. Mary Seacole is historically significant in nursing because she:
A) Was the first nurse to use antiseptic techniques
B) Served as a nurse during the Crimean War and used her knowledge of herbal
medicines to treat soldiers
C) Founded the first nursing school in the United States
D) Wrote the first nursing textbook
Correct Answer: B) Served as a nurse during the Crimean War and used her knowledge of herbal
medicines to treat soldiers
Rationale: Mary Seacole was a Jamaican nurse who traveled to Crimea to nurse soldiers during
the war . She established the British Hotel, providing care, food, and supplies to wounded
soldiers using her knowledge of tropical medicine and herbs.
6. The first American trained nurse, who also developed a system for charting and keeping
patient records, was:
A) Mary Mahoney
B) Linda Richards
C) Lillian Wald
D) Isabel Hampton Robb
Correct Answer: B) Linda Richards
Rationale: Linda Richards graduated from the New England Hospital for Women and Children
in 1873, becoming America's first professionally trained nurse . She introduced the practice of
keeping written patient records and founded several nursing schools.
7. Mary Mahoney is historically significant as the:
A) First nurse to serve in the U.S. Congress
B) Founder of the American Nurses Association
C) First African American trained nurse in the United States
D) Developer of the first nursing textbook
Correct Answer: C) First African American trained nurse in the United States
Rationale: Mary Eliza Mahoney graduated from the New England Hospital for Women and
Children in 1879, becoming the first African American trained nurse . She co-founded the
National Association of Colored Graduate Nurses and advocated for equal opportunities in
nursing.
, 8. The first school of nursing, where Florence Nightingale received training, was located in:
A) London, England
B) Kaiserswerth, Germany
C) Paris, France
D) Edinburgh, Scotland
Correct Answer: B) Kaiserswerth, Germany
Rationale: The Kaiserswerth Deaconess Institute, founded in 1836, trained Nightingale and
influenced her later work . She attended for several months in 1851, learning basic nursing care
and hospital organization.
9. Which state was the first to license practical nurses?
A) New York
B) California
C) Mississippi
D) Massachusetts
Correct Answer: C) Mississippi
Rationale: Mississippi passed the first practical nurse licensure law in 1914, setting a precedent
for vocational nursing regulation . New York was first to license registered nurses. The early
licensure movement aimed to protect the public by establishing minimum competency standards
for practitioners .
10. The Nurse Practice Act (NPA) is based on state legislation that:
A) Defines the roles of all healthcare workers
B) Regulates nursing practice and protects the public
C) Establishes a national nursing curriculum
D) Determines hospital staffing ratios
Correct Answer: B) Regulates nursing practice and protects the public
Rationale: The Nurse Practice Act is based on state legislation that regulates nursing practice,
aimed at protecting the public, making nurses accountable for their actions, and establishing
State Boards of Nursing . It defines nursing, sets educational qualifications and legal titles, and
establishes State Boards of Nursing to enforce standards.
11. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), health is best defined as:
A) The absence of disease or infirmity
B) A state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being
C) The ability to perform activities of daily living independently
D) A balance between physical and emotional states
Correct Answer: B) A state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being
