Nine hospital schools of nursing existed in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. The first school started in 1897. During the next 23 years the others opened. The number of schools peaked during the period from 1918 to 1920, when seven schools operated. Subsequently, the number declined so that by 1934 only two schools remained. One of these schools closed in 1974, and three years later the surviving Upper Peninsula hospital school of nursing closed.

Although brief accounts of four of these schools had been written, no history existed that told of all the Upper Peninsula hospital schools of nursing. It seemed important to record their existence while documents and artifacts were available. Because the researcher believed that this form of nursing education, like other types of education, originated in response to a social need and developed in accord with that need, this study examined the development and decline of these schools in the historical context. Hence, histories of the Upper Peninsula, Michigan, and the nation were reviewed to identify relevant social and political events. Histories and studies of nursing and nursing education in the United States were examined. Documents about each of the Upper Peninsula hospital schools of nursing were sought in local and regional repositories. These included archives and libraries. Newspapers of the era, published in the localities of the schools, were scrutinized for stories about the schools. Records that remained at hospitals where schools had been located were examined. Data from all these sources were analyzed to identify social/political factors that stimulated the development and decline of these hospital schools of nursing.

The findings demonstrated that the schools had developed during a period of economic prosperity. Their growth was stimulated by war. Depression affected the schools adversely. Proprietary schools were especially sensitive to economic factors. Two schools, operated as charitable endeavors, survived into the 1970s. They met the challenges of scientific advances, increasingly rigorous educational requirements, and rising costs but eventually surrendered the burden of educating nurses to neighboring colleges. Narrowly focused vocational training was no longer able to accommodate social needs.