1890 was a significant year in the nursing history of Zimbabwe.That year saw the establishment of the city of Salisbury,now called Harare,by the Pioneer Column.That same year saw the beginning of modern nursing pioneered by Dominican Roman Catholics.During the colonial rule of what then was Southern Rhodesia,the main leadership in nursing was in the hands of European nurses who formed the Rhodesia Nurses Association in 1964.The nurses were always registered under various professional bodies,the final one being the Health Professions Council under the Medical and Dental Professions Act ,Chapter 224.

With the attainment of Independence on 18 April 1980,the profession started growing rapidly resulting in the formation of the Zimbabwe Nurses Association in 1981.Nurses ,spearheaded by Zimbabwe Nurses Association as President,picketed for greater recognition for the nursing profession,that is ,the desire to establish a Nursing Council separate from the Medical,Dental and Allied Professions Council.

The First Nurses Council of Zimbabwe was established on 2 April 2001 under the Health Professions Act (Chap. 27:19)The Honorable Minister of Health and Child Welfare Dr .Timothy Stamps inaugurated this Council on 2 May 2001.This Council, consisting of ten (10) members,was appointed by the Minister as a task force with a mandate to structure the Nurses Council.A second elected Council was in place as from 1 July 2010.However,it was only inaugurated on 6 October 2010 by the Honorable Dr Henry Madzorera (MP),Minister of Health and Child Welfare.The third elected Council was inaugurated on the 6th of October 2010 by Dr Henry Madzorera.The current Council was inaugurated on the 5th of August 2015 by the Minister of Health and Child Welfare Dr Parirenyatwa.The Council consists of 15 members.