Nursing

The Evolution of Nursing

As caretakers of children, family and community, it was natural that women were the nurses, the caregivers, as human society evolved. Nursing may be the oldest known profession, as some nurses were paid for their services from the beginning.

American Homeopathy in the World War

A History of U. S. Army Base Hospital No. 48...Before the arrival of our own nurses, Base Hospital No. 48 was so overcrowded with seriously sick soldiers that not only were extra officers detailed to help us out but small detachments of nurses from Base Hospital No. 44 at Mesves and later from Base Hospital No.14 in Mars were temporarily attached to our Unit for service...

Histories of Nursing: The Power and the Possibilities

We do not deny some historical circumstances of marginalization, invisibility, and gender biases. They existed and still do. We also celebrate the achievements of extraordinary nurses such as Lillian Wald, the founder of the Henry Street Settlement house and public health nursing, and Mary Breckenridge, who brought nurse-midwives to the mountains of rural Kentucky.

Men and Nursing

The first nursing school in the world was started in India in about 250 BC. Only men were considered "pure" enough to become nurses.

World History of Nursing

Video covering the history of the nursing profession.

History of Nursing- Things Every Nurse Should Know

The history of nursing dates back to Roman times, although for tens of thousands of years women have tended to the sick and injured in their tribes and communities.

Florence Nightingale Museum

Everyone knows Florence Nightingale as the world’s most famous nurse. But did you know she was a nurse for only a few years of her life, during the Crimean War? During her early years she had to struggle against her parents’ wishes to become a nurse, but when she came back from the war she was seriously ill. She had achieved iconic status by this time, but disliked the fame and instead used her influence behind the scenes to campaign tirelessly for better healthcare for all, despite her own ill health.

10 Most Famous Nurses in History

There was a time that nursing duties fell to nuns, or -- during wars -- to the military. Before the end of the 19th century, most nurses didn't have any formal training -- and many lacked any education at all. Nurses were typically women who provided the sick, injured and wounded with comfort, but not necessarily good -- or any -- medical care. It wasn't until the extraordinary women and men on our list advocated for change and pioneered a path for nurses from bedpan to bachelor's degree that the seeds of modern nursing were born.

Museum of Nursing History

It is the goal of the museum to commemorate the progress of nursing by maintaining a permanent archival museum at Friends Hospital.

American Association for the History of Nursing

AAHN is a network of discovery that advances historical scholarship in nursing and healthcare and promotes the development of historians.

Barbara Bates Center

This unique site serves as a source of historical background information on issues regarding the nursing profession and the provision of nursing care. It addresses a wide range of topics critical to comprehending and broadening our understanding of health care and nursing concerns, including the role of professional nurses, nurse shortages, workplace problems and public health issues.

BC History of Nursing Society

In 1989 interested registered nurses banded together and formed the B.C. History of Nursing Professional Practice Group under the umbrella of the Registered Nurses Association of BC (now the College of Registered Nurses of BC.) The mission of the founders was to discover, disseminate, and preserve BC's nursing history.

Canadian Association for the History of Nursing

There has never been a stronger need for an understanding of nursing's often heroic past, and its essential role in Ontario's health care system. An appreciation of nursing's past accomplishments will work as a recruitment and retention strategy when the province-wide need for nursing has never been greater.