NUR 520 Foundational Competencies for
the Professional Nurse Practice Exam
2026/2027: Verified Questions & Answers
With Rationales | Instant PDF Download
### Section 1: History & Evolution of Professional Nursing
(Questions 1-15)
**1.** Who is considered the founder of modern professional
nursing?
A) Clara Barton
B) Dorothea Dix
C) **Florence Nightingale**
D) Lillian Wald
**Correct Answer: C**
,*Rationale: Florence Nightingale established the first
scientifically based nursing school (St. Thomas' Hospital,
London, 1860), defined nursing as separate from medicine,
and used statistical analysis to improve sanitation. Her Notes
on Nursing (1859) remains a foundational text.*
**2.** Which nursing organization was founded by Mary Eliza
Mahoney, the first African American professional nurse?
A) American Nurses Association (ANA)
B) **National Association of Colored Graduate Nurses
(NACGN)**
C) Sigma Theta Tau
D) National League for Nursing (NLN)
**Correct Answer: B**
*Rationale: Mary Eliza Mahoney co-founded the NACGN in 1908
to address racial discrimination and promote equal
opportunities for 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 founded in 1911 as the national
professional organization representing all registered nurses.
It establishes Scope and Standards of Practice and advances
nursing's professional interests.*
**4.** Clara Barton is best known for:
A) Developing the first public health nursing service
B) **Founding the American Red Cross**
C) Writing the first nursing ethics code
D) Creating hospital sanitation protocols
**Correct Answer: B**
, *Rationale: Clara Barton founded the American Red Cross in
1881 and served as its first president. She previously provided
nursing care to Union soldiers during the Civil War.*
**5.** Lillian Wald is credited with:
A) Serving as the first Army Nurse Corps superintendent
B) **Establishing the Henry Street Settlement and public
health nursing in the U.S.**
C) Creating the first nursing licensure exam
D) Writing the ANA Code of Ethics
**Correct Answer: B**
*Rationale: Lillian Wald founded 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 first nursing school in the United States, based on
Nightingale's model, was established at:
A) Johns Hopkins Hospital
B) Massachusetts General Hospital
the Professional Nurse Practice Exam
2026/2027: Verified Questions & Answers
With Rationales | Instant PDF Download
### Section 1: History & Evolution of Professional Nursing
(Questions 1-15)
**1.** Who is considered the founder of modern professional
nursing?
A) Clara Barton
B) Dorothea Dix
C) **Florence Nightingale**
D) Lillian Wald
**Correct Answer: C**
,*Rationale: Florence Nightingale established the first
scientifically based nursing school (St. Thomas' Hospital,
London, 1860), defined nursing as separate from medicine,
and used statistical analysis to improve sanitation. Her Notes
on Nursing (1859) remains a foundational text.*
**2.** Which nursing organization was founded by Mary Eliza
Mahoney, the first African American professional nurse?
A) American Nurses Association (ANA)
B) **National Association of Colored Graduate Nurses
(NACGN)**
C) Sigma Theta Tau
D) National League for Nursing (NLN)
**Correct Answer: B**
*Rationale: Mary Eliza Mahoney co-founded the NACGN in 1908
to address racial discrimination and promote equal
opportunities for 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 founded in 1911 as the national
professional organization representing all registered nurses.
It establishes Scope and Standards of Practice and advances
nursing's professional interests.*
**4.** Clara Barton is best known for:
A) Developing the first public health nursing service
B) **Founding the American Red Cross**
C) Writing the first nursing ethics code
D) Creating hospital sanitation protocols
**Correct Answer: B**
, *Rationale: Clara Barton founded the American Red Cross in
1881 and served as its first president. She previously provided
nursing care to Union soldiers during the Civil War.*
**5.** Lillian Wald is credited with:
A) Serving as the first Army Nurse Corps superintendent
B) **Establishing the Henry Street Settlement and public
health nursing in the U.S.**
C) Creating the first nursing licensure exam
D) Writing the ANA Code of Ethics
**Correct Answer: B**
*Rationale: Lillian Wald founded 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 first nursing school in the United States, based on
Nightingale's model, was established at:
A) Johns Hopkins Hospital
B) Massachusetts General Hospital
