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National Nurses Week is celebrated every year beginning on May 6th, National Nurses Day, and ending on May 12th, Florence Nightingale’s birthday. During this week, we remember the moments in nursing history that made the profession so critical to the world. We also celebrate the Nurses who heal us every day, put our needs first, and collectively fight for humanity daily. Nurses have championed iconic moments in time throughout history, but the profession was not always respected.

In the 1800s, most “nursing” was executed by family members on sick loved ones at home. There was no schooling, certifications, or training to establish the profession and advance the field of nursing. All of this changed and set nursing forward on a successful path, and now we live in a world where nurses are a critical and essential piece of the healthcare system.

Let’s take a look at the moments in nursing history that have brought the field to where it is today. These historic moments contributed to making the field so special today.

Celebrating Historic Moments in Nursing History

1860

Florence Nightingale made history by establishing the very first collegiate nursing school in 1860. This groundbreaking school opened its doors in London and redefined nursing as a profession for the first time.

In the lead-up to the school’s inauguration, Nightingale published a groundbreaking instruction manual titled ‘Notes on Nursing.’ This manual drew from her experiences running an army field hospital during the Crimean War and provided valuable training tips.

Nightingale earned the nickname ‘Lady with the Lamp’ because of her dedication to patient care. She was often patrolling the hospital at all hours of the night. One of the key takeaways from her work was the pressing need to enhance ventilation and sanitation in hospitals.

Nightingale’s hands-on experiences were seamlessly incorporated into the school, leading to its remarkable success. Her pioneering efforts inspired the establishment of more nursing schools in locations such as New York City, Connecticut, and Boston.

The legacy of Nightingale’s original school lives on today, known as The Florence Nightingale School of Nursing and Midwifery. Her contributions to the profession are why she is often referred to as the mother of modern nursing,

1879

Mary Eliza Mahoney, a child of freed slaves, was the first African American licensed nurse and began working in 1879 at the age of 34, a dream she had since she was a teenager. Mahoney started working at the New England Hospital for Women and Children as a janitor in her teenage years, hoping to one day become a nurse. She spent 15 years at the hospital, working as a cook, washerwoman, and eventually a nurse’s aide.

Once accepted into nursing school for this experience, Mahoney was one of four students to graduate among a class of 42. This fact alone is exceptional, but what makes it astonishing is that Mahoney did all of this as an African American woman in a time when discrimination was overwhelming.

Due to discrimination, Mahoney spent the next 40 years working as a private nurse, advocating for equal rights, women’s rights, and the rights of children.

1947

By this time, the American Nurses Association had been established for more than 35 years. The association focused on improving working conditions for registered nurses, who still did not have equality in the field.

While Florence Blanchfield served in the military, women were not treated equally when it came to recognition and pay. In fact, women were discharged immediately if they chose to marry. Since Florence Blanchfield was a nurse during both World Wars I and II, she was aware of the inequalities she faced on the battlefield.

Blanchfield began leading efforts to earn full rank and payment for nurses serving in the military. By the end of 1947, Blanchfield’s efforts were validated, and nurses were granted full rank and equal pay under the Army-Navy Nurses Act.

1983

Cliff Morrison started as a nurse at San Francisco General Hospital in 1979. Within two years, the AIDS epidemic began, filling the hospital’s five ICUs with AIDS patients. Initially, there was little research on AIDS, causing tons of skepticism and fear amongst the masses. This consequently meant that sufferers had to endure both the disease’s physical and mental effects as well as societal stigma.

Morrison cared for his roommate, whom he believed had AIDS, using this experience to pioneer improved patient care for HIV/AIDS patients. He interviewed patients and gathered information on optimal support for terminally ill individuals.

In July 1983, Morrison’s research and first-hand experience led to the creation of Ward 5B. This unit, dedicated exclusively to the care of HIV/AIDS patients, was the first in the United States and revolutionized their treatment by emphasizing care and physical touch.

In Ward 5B, nurses touched their patients without gloves or protective gear to remove the feeling of ostracization, a bold move during a time when many healthcare professionals were too afraid to do so.

2020

2020 was the year of the nurse. The world began to face the COVID-19 crisis in 2020, and nurses around the globe stepped up to fight. Little was known about the disease, but that did not prevent nurses from putting patient care first.

Nurses had to shift from floor to floor, prioritizing COVID units and working far more hours than they ever had before. Not only was the work dangerous and exhausting, but it was also mentally difficult.

Afomia Bekel of Brigham & Women’s Hospital captured the sentiment of thousands of nurses, stating, “The pandemic’s urgency outweighed the fear of the unknown.”

While nurses continue to confront COVID-19 challenges, their efforts during the pandemic’s peak have collectively improved the global response to pandemics, making the world safer.

Thank you, Nurses!

Nurses come from a history of heroism, acting on the front lines through moments in nursing history. Nurses deserve the recognition as healthcare professionals they’ve long awaited, from battling for equality to rising during a global pandemic. These moments are iconic, but it doesn’t cover the massive amount of historic moments nurses make in their field every day.

The role of the nurse has evolved over time, but some things never change. Nursing is one of the professions the public trusts the most, and rightfully so! Celebrate this Nurses Week by thanking a nurse in your life. It is the care they give patients that heals the world.

We hope you found this article on celebrating historic moments in nursing history informational. Are there any historic moments in nursing history that you think should make our list? Comment what historic moments in nursing history you find most interesting or inspirational, below.

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Nursing is the nation’s largest healthcare profession, with more than four million registered nurses (RNs) nationwide and a projected increase of 200,000 per year through 2031. Thousands of RNs enjoy the freedom and flexibility as a travel nurse, a more recent phenomenon of the industry. Nursing Pools, or professional staffing agencies, place nurses in temporary healthcare assignments where permanent staff cannot adequately serve patient admissions. This more contemporary just-in-time, on-demand approach to staffing has allowed hospitals to minimize labor gaps and improve the quality of care. The nursing profession has evolved over centuries to include formal training, regulations, certifications, and licensing. Nurses have also contributed groundbreaking inventions alongside new technology, both of which have played a pivotal role in advancing treatments, outcomes, and the caliber of care. This week we celebrate nurses across the country and appreciate the remarkable history instrumental in developing these healthcare heroes.

The first National Nurses Week

The first National Nurses Week was observed in 1954, marking the 100th anniversary of Florence Nightingale’s mission to Crimea. During the war, many lives were lost due to infections, and these intimate encounters with injured soldiers spurred her views about cleanliness and patient care. She went on to author Notes on Nursing (published 1859), which provides a practical guide for hygiene, sanitation, fresh air, proper lighting, a good diet, warmth, and quietness in a hospital environment to promote patient recovery. In 1860, Nightingale leveraged her knowledge and opened the very first nursing school in London, paving the way for formal training and education in the field.

Nightingale is recognized as the founder of modern nursing because her tireless efforts to reform healthcare greatly influenced the quality of care throughout the 19th and 20th centuries. The “Nightingale Principles” she promoted more than a century ago are still widely respected as a viable introduction to the field. In 1982, the United States Congress passed a joint resolution designating May 6 as National Recognition Day for Nurses, and President Regan went on to sign the proclamation. Today, National Nurses Day launches National Nurses Week, which concludes on May 12, honoring the birthdate of Florence Nightingale.

Clarissa Harlow Barton provided medical care to Civil War Soldiers in the 1800s

Also during the 1800s, nurse Clarissa Harlowe Barton provided medical care and supplies to Civil War soldiers serving on battlefields outside her home in Washington, DC. Her unwavering dedication earned her the nickname “Angel of the Battlefield.” Post-war, Barton continued her humanitarian service by opening the Office of Missing Soldiers and reconnected more than 22,000 soldiers with their families. Later during her 1869 trip to Switzerland, Barton learned about the European Red Cross movement. This humanitarian effort provided neutral aid to those injured in combat. And in 1881, perhaps her most famous accolade, Barton founded the American Red Cross and then served as president for 23 years. Barton died in 1912, but her legacy lives on through a massive network of volunteers and staff at the Red Cross who respond every eight minutes to support those in crisis.

Linda Richards is recognized as the first professionally trained nurse in the United States.

In 1872, Richards was the first to enroll in the inaugural class of five students for a one-year program at the first United States nurse training school established by the New England Hospital for Women and Children. Her celebrated diploma is in the archives of the Smithsonian Institution. After graduation, Richards worked as a night superintendent at the Bellevue Hospital Training School in New York, where she created the first system for charting and maintaining medical records for each patient. This system was adopted extensively throughout the United States and England. In 1976, Richards was inducted into the American Nurses Association Hall of Fame and the National Women’s Hall of Fame in 1994.

Virginia Henderson was a major force throughout the 1900s.

She is credited for shaping nursing education through the application of her “Need Theory,” which stated the goal and focus of nursing is to enable the patient to achieve independence as quickly as possible. Henderson emphasizes basic human needs and, more specifically, how nurses can meet those needs. Noting that the nurse’s foremost duty was to the patient, not the doctor. As a nurse, theorist, and acclaimed author, Henderson transformed the field of nursing. She received more than a dozen honorary doctorate degrees from respected institutions, led an extensive teaching and practice career, and is recognized as one of the 51 Pioneer Nurses in Virginia as well as a member of the American Nurses Association Hall of Fame.

Mary Ezra Mahoney was the first African American woman to become a registered nurse.

Mary Ezra Mahoney was the first African American woman to become a registered nurse and work as a professionally trained nurse in the United States. She was one of only four graduates (out of 42 candidates) from her class at the New England Hospital for Women and Children in 1879. Faced with relentless discrimination, Mahoney co-founded the National Association of Colored Graduate Nurses in 1908, pioneering the way for future African American nurses. At the age of 74, Mahoney was one of the first women to register to vote in Boston, propelling her nursing legacy to national fame.

Adda May Allen worked as a nurse at Columbia Hospital in Washington, D.C., in the 1940s. She noticed that babies tired easily when nursing from a bottle. She created a one-time-use disposable liner that helped reduce the effort needed by babies to drink. Whereas a traditional bottle created a partial vacuum and inverted the nipple, the plastic liner allowed the sides to close in as a baby drinks the milk. This invention helped ensure babies were not at risk of malnutrition due to exhaustion while feeding.

In 1968, registered nurse Anita Dorr invented the “crisis cart,” known famously today as the “crash cart.”

Determined to resolve the dire situation she had witnessed far too many times, Dorr set out to reduce the time it took doctors and nurses to respond to cardiac arrest. She created a prototype cart in her basement that was stocked with the necessary equipment and provided easy access by medical staff. Today, the modern crash cart delivers the lifesaving defibrillator and resuscitation equipment quickly and conveniently to the patient’s bedside.

Luther Christman was the first male dean of a nursing school.

Luther Christman, a nurse, and educator, was a champion of racial and gender diversity in nursing. He was the first male dean of a nursing school and eventually founded the American Association for Men in Nursing (1974) to help men enter a field largely associated with women.

Christman helped create and implement the Rush Model of Nursing, which emphasizes the commingling of education and practice for nursing schools and transforms the way nurses navigate their future from coursework to career.

Throughout her career, nurse Rebecca Koszalinski has been particularly focused on improving outcomes for patients with disabilities and/or chronic illnesses who are speech vulnerable. Leveraging new technologies, she set out to transform treatment for those who do not have a voice. Koszalinski developed Speak for Myself®, an award-winning mobile app designed to help patients who are unable to communicate express their needs quickly and precisely. Feelings such as pain, fear, anxiety, the need for a restroom, and even loneliness are easily formulated using the app. Rebecca S. Koszalinski, Ph.D., BSN, MS, RN, CRRN, is an Associate Professor at the Christine E. Lynn College of Nursing, FAU, Florida, where she continues her crusade to empower those with social challenges.

The industry has come so far since the first mentions of nursing during the Roman Empire around 300 AD. The practice evolved through the years as it aligned with church hospitals, battlefield injuries in times of war, and answered the call for midwives to help with childbirth. We see how the profession has progressed over centuries, with numerous individuals shaping modern nursing and reinforcing the sheer resiliency of practitioners. The twenty-first century has been especially important to the field of nursing as we come out of the coronavirus pandemic. During the height of its impact, travel nurses were essential to helping hospitals meet the unprecedented needs of infected patients. Travelers are accustomed to quickly filling staffing gaps and performing on day one in a new assignment. Together with the permanent staff, travelers provided the medical care and compassion needed during this incredibly difficult time.

The future outlook for nursing suggests a burgeoning need as our elder population continues to grow.

Ironically, nurses are also part of this aging segment, with a significant number expected to retire by 2030. The country needs a pipeline of students to fuel the expected 9% job growth for registered nurses (RNs) and 45% job growth for nurse practitioners, nurse midwives, and nurse anesthetists between 2020 and 2030. (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics) A nursing career promises that medical innovation, government-mandated regulations, and technological advancements will combine to continuously change the look and feel of patient care. There is no doubt nurses have demonstrated over time their ability to adapt to change and crisis while keeping patient needs top priority.

Nurses and the nursing field will certainly endure and withstand the unpredictability of evolving healthcare needs. A new focus on mental health needs and resources for nurses, particularly those facing burnout, depression, and anxiety, is a welcomed addition to how the industry cares for its nurses. With this heightened awareness and investment in their well-being, we can hope that the longevity of careers will increase and patients will only see even better care and treatment.

“Heroism” is practically synonymous with nursing.

Centuries have shown where nurses sacrifice, conquer adversity, and fight for saving patients despite the risk to their own lives. There is no truer definition of a hero. As the country celebrates Nurses Week, we recognize the profound dedication and contribution nurses provide to our communities, hospitals, schools, and education systems. We salute the historical journey to modern nursing and pay tribute to the bright future ahead for these champions of healthcare.

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Gifted Healthcare provided this article.

As Nurses Week approaches, let’s kick it off early with a celebration of nursing throughout time with some iconic moments in nursing history.

National Nurses Week is celebrated every year, beginning on May 6^th, National Nurses Day, and ending on May 12^th, Florence Nightingale’s birthday. This is the time to celebrate the Nurses that heal us every day, put our needs first, and collectively fight for humanity daily. Nurses have championed iconic moments in time throughout history, but the profession was not always respected.

Let’s take a look through moments in time that have brought nursing to where it is today.

1860

Florence Nightingale, the mother of modern nursing, established the very first collegiate nursing school in 1860. The school opened its doors in London, creating an image of nursing as a profession for the first time in history.

Leading up to the school’s opening, Nightingale published the first-ever instruction manual titled “Notes on Nursing.” The manual was full of training tips based on her time running an army field hospital during the Crimean War. She became known as the ‘Lady with the Lamp’ because she put her patients first, often patrolling the hospital at all hours of the night, but the biggest takeaway Nightingale used to propel nursing forward was the need to enhance ventilation and sanitation in hospitals.

Nightingale incorporated her experience in the school, and it was a major success. It inspired more of its kind, with a nursing school opening in New York City, Connecticut, and Boston in the years following. Nightingale’s original school is still around today and is known as The Florence Nightingale School of Nursing and Midwifery.

1879

Mary Eliza Mahoney, a child of freed slaves, was the first African American licensed nurse and began working in 1879 at the age of 34, a dream she had had since she was a teenager. Mahoney started working at the New England Hospital for Women and Children as a janitor in her teenage years, hoping to one day become a nurse. She spent 15 years at the hospital, working as a cook, washerwoman, and eventually a nurse’s aide.

Due to discrimination, Mahoney spent the next 40 years working as a private nurse, advocating for equal rights, women’s rights, and the rights of children, pioneering a path for minorities in the nursing field.

1947

By this time, the American Nurses Association has been established for more than 35 years and is fighting to continuously improve working environments for registered nurses, but nurses still did not have equality in the field.

Florence Blanchfield was a nurse during both World War I and II and began leading efforts for nurses serving in the military to earn full rank and payment due to the lack of equality she experienced as a nurse serving in the military.

At the time Blanchfield served in the military, women were not treated equally when it came to recognition and pay. In fact, women were discharged immediately if they chose to marry. By 1947, Blanchfield’s efforts were validated, and nurses were granted full rank and equal pay under the Army-Navy Nurses Act of 1947.

1983

Cliff Morrison began working as a nurse at the San Francisco General Hospital in 1979. Within two years, the AIDS epidemic broke out, and the hospital had five ICUs filled with AIDS patients at a time when there was little to no research on the disease. Everyone suffered not only because of the physical and mental effects of the disease but also because of the stigma.

Morrison took care of his roommate at the time, who he believed had AIDS, and used this experience to pioneer the patient care that HIV and AIDS patients deserved. Morrison spent time interviewing patients and gathering information on how nurses could best support and care for the terminally ill.

From Morrison’s research and first-hand experience, Ward 5B was born in July 1983 and was the only unit in the United States dedicated solely to the care of HIV/AIDS patients. It revolutionized the way AIDS patients were treated, placing care and physical touch at the heart of it all.

The nurses of Ward 5B touched their patients without gloves or any protective gear to remove the feeling of ostracization, something a lot of healthcare professionals were too afraid to do at the time.

2020

The year of the nurse. The world began to face the COVID-19 crisis in 2020, and nurses around the globe stepped up to fight. Everything changed quickly, and many answers were unknown, but that did not prevent nurses from putting their patients first.

Nurses had to shift from floor to floor to prioritize the COVID units and safe care, many working far more hours than they ever had before. Not only was the work dangerous and exhausting, but it was also mentally difficult.

Afomia Bekel from Brigham & Women’s Hospital, Boston, summed up the feeling of thousand of nurses when she said, “The unknown was frightening, but the urgency of the pandemic placed on health care workers all over the world didn’t allow us to sit in that fear or uncertainty for too long.”

Although nurses still face COVID-19 challenges, their work at the height of the pandemic, as well as its ups and downs, have collectively brought the world to a safer standing within the pandemic.

Thank you, Nurses!

Nurses come from a history of heroism, acting on the front lines through iconic moments in humanity’s history. From fighting for recognition and equality in the field to stepping up in the midst of a worldwide pandemic, Nurses deserve the recognition as healthcare professionals they have long-awaited.

The role of the nurse has evolved over time, but some things never change. The profession has been voted first among the professions the public trusts the most multiple times, rightfully so.

Celebrate this Nurses Week by thanking a nurse in your life that has put your care above all else when you needed it most. It is the care they give patients that heals the world.

We hope you enjoyed this article on iconic moments in nursing history. Are there any other iconic moments in nursing history we didn’t include that you think should make the list of moments in nursing history? Comment them below.

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It’s Nurses Week. The Theme for National Nurses Week 2019 is 4 Million Reasons to Celebrate — a nod to nurses’ sheer numbers and an open invitation to #ThankaNurse for enriching our lives and the world we live in.

4 Million Reasons To Celebrate

With over 4 million Registered Nurses in the USA, we have a lot to celebrate. Nursing is considered one of the ‘most trusted’ occupations with the highest honesty and ethical standards of any industry.

Nursing has changed a lot in the years since Miss Florence Nightingale. However, nurses still share similar values and commitment to those of Florence Nightingale.

Today’s nurses share similar values and commitment to those of Miss Nightingale:

uphold a commitment to addressing many public health challenges to transform health care to focus on health and wellness, in addition to illness care.
commitment to delivering culturally competent care and increasing diversity and inclusion in nursing.
ground-breaking work as researchers, executives, educators and innovators on national and global initiatives.

Florence Nightingale

(12 May 1820 – 13 August 1910)

Florence Nightingale was a celebrated English social reformer and statistician, and the founder of modern nursing.

Florence Nightingale – Trailer from Odyssey Networks on Vimeo

She is a ‘ministering angel’ without any exaggeration in these hospitals, and as her slender form glides quietly along each corridor, every poor fellow’s face softens with gratitude at the sight of her. When all the medical officers have retired for the night and silence and darkness have settled down upon those miles of prostrate sick, she may be observed alone, with a little lamp in her hand, making her solitary rounds.

She came to prominence while serving as a nurse during the Crimean War, where she tended to wounded soldiers.
During the Crimean war, Florence Nightingale gained the nickname “The Lady with the Lamp” from a phrase in a report in The Times.
In 1860, Nightingale laid the foundation of professional nursing with the establishment of her nursing school at St Thomas’ Hospital in London.
International Nurses Day is celebrated around the world on her birthday.
The first trained Nightingale nurses began work on 16 May 1865 at the Liverpool Workhouse Infirmary.
Her social reforms include being a pioneer in the visual presentation of information and statistical graphics.^[31]
Improving healthcare for all sections of British society;
Improving healthcare and advocating for better hunger relief in India;
Helping to abolish laws regulating prostitution that were overly harsh to women;
Expanding the acceptable forms of female participation in the workforce. – Wikipedia

How you can #ThankaNurse this Nurses Week

Post #ThankaNurse or #ThankyouGypsyNurse to your social media pages to show your support.
SHARE this article on your social networks to help us spread the word. #nursesweek2019
If you have a nurse in your life, here are some great nurses week gift ideas
Drop by your local hospital, clinic, or healthcare facility and simply say “Thank You” (cookies or candies never hurt).
Support mandated Nurse:Patient Ratios.
Share a photo of a nurse in your family.

Celebrating Historic Moments in Nursing History

1860

1879

1947

1983

2020

Thank you, Nurses!

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The first National Nurses Week

Clarissa Harlow Barton provided medical care to Civil War Soldiers in the 1800s

Linda Richards is recognized as the first professionally trained nurse in the United States.

Virginia Henderson was a major force throughout the 1900s.

Mary Ezra Mahoney was the first African American woman to become a registered nurse.

In 1968, registered nurse Anita Dorr invented the “crisis cart,” known famously today as the “crash cart.”

Luther Christman was the first male dean of a nursing school.

The future outlook for nursing suggests a burgeoning need as our elder population continues to grow.

“Heroism” is practically synonymous with nursing.

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1860

1879

1947

1983

2020

Thank you, Nurses!

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4 Million Reasons To Celebrate

Today’s nurses share similar values and commitment to those of Miss Nightingale:

Florence Nightingale

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