Since the 1990s, Switzerland has seen the emergence of a new type of higher education institution: the universities of applied sciences. They were introduced at an unusually rapid pace for Swiss standards, while the establishment of similar institutions for health professions occurred with a significant delay. This work explores the reasons behind this delayed development. It is divided into three main parts: First, the general development of universities of applied sciences in Switzerland is reconstructed from its beginnings. Next, the origins and context of the various health professions are presented, with particular attention given to the development of the nursing profession. In the third part, it is detailed how and under what political circumstances the health professions achieved university of applied sciences status, as well as the successes and failures that accompanied the concrete design of universities of applied sciences in the health professions at the cantonal level.