2. Nursing: An Historical
Perspective
Nursing is an art;
and if it is to be made an art,
it requires as exclusive a devotion,
as hard a preparation, as any painter’s or
sculptor’s work;
for what is the having to do with dead canvas
or cold marble, compared with having to do
with the living body – the temple of God’s
spirit?
It is one of the Fine Arts;
I had almost said, the finest of the Fine Arts.
~ Florence Nightingale
Florence Nightingale
3. Nursing: An Historical Perspective
Although many nursing programs start out discussing the history of
nursing by talking about Florence Nightingale and her contribution to
modern day nursing, but there were many men and women of all races who
contributed to the development of the nursing profession. Some highlights:
Ancient Rome
Nosocomi were men who provided nursing care in ancient Rome.
Early Religious Orders
Men in religious orders were also providing nursing
care in the Middle Ages, e.g., St. Benedictine nursing
order, Knights of Hospitalers, Teutonic Knights.
Knights of St. Lazarus
4. Nursing: An Historical Perspective
Crimean War 1854-1856
Thirty eight voluntary nurses, amongst them Florence Nightingale,
travelled to Turkey to help provide medical care for wounded British
soldiers.
Male “orderlies” also provided nursing care during the war.
American Civil War 1861-1873
No professional nurses were available, so the Sisters of Charity
responded to the care for the wounded soldiers.
Men served as nurses. One notable nurse during this time was Walt
Whitman, a poet and writer, who volunteered as a hospital nurse in
Washington, D.C.
President Lincoln responded to the need by establishing the United
States Sanitary Commission and appointing Dorothea L. Dix
Superintendent of Army Nurses.
Walt Whitman
5. Nursing: An Historical Perspective
The Alexian Brothers (U.S.) 1866 – 1869
In 1866, the Alexians built their first hospital in Chicago, Illinois
and in 1869, opened a second hospital in St. Louis, Missouri. The
Alexian Brothers began as informal groups of laymen about 1300
A.D., providing nursing care for the poor.
The American Red Cross 1881- 1910
Clara Barton established in Washington, D.C. on May 21, 1881 to
provide emergency assistance, disaster relief and education
inside the United States
Jane Delano founded the American Red Cross Nursing Science
in 1910 as the reserve of the Army Nurse Corps to be ready just
before the entry of the United States into World War I.
Clara Barton
6. Nursing: An Historical Perspective
First Nursing Schools 1873
Bellevue Training School for Nurses in New York City
Connecticut Training School for Nurses in New Haven
Boston Training School for Nurses at Massachusetts
General Hospital in Boston
Nursing Schools for Men 1888
The Mills School for Nursing and St. Vincent's Hospital
School for Men were founded in New York in 1888. The
Pennsylvania Hospital opened a school for female nurses
in 1914 and simultaneously opened a separate men's
nursing school. Men only schools of nursing existed until
the early 1960’s.
7. Nursing: An Historical Perspective
Mary Eliza Mahoney (1845-1926)
In 1878, when she was 33 years old, she began nurses' training
there at the first institution in the United States to provide it. One of
the first women doctors in the country, Dr. Marie Zakrzewska (1829-
1902), established the program. Mahoney received her nursing
diploma on August 1, 1879.
Henry Street Settlement 1893
A not-for-profit social service agency founded by nurse Lillian Wald
that marked the rise of public health nursing and promoted an
increased acceptance of nurses in many roles.
Mary Eliza Mahoney
8. Nursing: An Historical
Perspective
American Society of Superintendents of Training Schools of
Nursing 1893
American nursing’s first national professional organization established
to elevate the standards of nursing education; later became the
National League for Nursing Education (1912), and ultimately, the
National League for Nursing (1952)(NLN).
The United States Army Nurse Corps 1901
Established by the United States Congress to provide qualified nursing
staff in support of the Department of Defense medical plans.
Edward Lyon made history as the first man to be commissioned in the
U.S. Army Nurse Corps in 1955. He was named second lieutenant and
broke the mold for all male nurses, who play a very important role in
nursing military services.
9. Nursing: An Historical Perspective
State Licensure 1903
The initiation of state licensure in 1903 heralded the standardization of
nursing education programs.
10. Nursing: An Historical Perspective
Cadet Nurse Corps Program 1943
Supervised by the United States Public Health
Service to train nurses during World War II. After
American entered the war, the demand for nurses
increased dramatically, outstripping the supply and
creating a shortage.
The American Assembly for Men in Nursing 1971
The purpose of AAMN is to provide a framework for
nurses as a group to meet, discuss, and influence
factors which affect men as nurses
11. Nursing: The Evolution of the
Profession
Two thousand years ago, nursing school was for
men only. Only men were considered "pure" enough to
enter what is thought to be the world's first nursing school,
which was founded in India about 250 B.C., according to
Bruce Wilson, Ph.D., RN, and associate professor at the
University of Texas-Pan American in Edinburg, Texas. For
the next two millennia, nursing remained male-dominated.
It took warfare in the 19th and 20th centuries to
transform nursing from being considered a man's
job to a women's profession. One of the biggest shifts
in the profession came in 1901 when the military nursing
corps was reorganized. Men were no longer allowed to
serve as nurses, furthering the process of the feminization of
nursing.
12. Nursing: The Evolution of the
Profession
Now, at the dawn of the third millennium, more men are going into
a profession they helped create some 2,000 years ago. Nurses, and
the patients they serve, will benefit if they do, according to a report released last
year by the Institute of Medicine (IOM). Men provide unique perspectives
and skills that are important to the profession and society at large. There
are 2,909,357 licensed RNs in the United States. Men comprise approximately
7% of the total nursing population.
Nursing must be viewed as a people profession
and not a women’s profession.
~Anonymous
13. Nursing: Moving the Profession
Forward
The nursing profession must reflect the diversity of ethnicity, race, culture,
religion, age, and gender of the patients for which it cares.
“Patients are much more
receptive to health care
providers of similar cultural and
ethnic backgrounds, and that
may well translate to gender as
well.”
~ Vernell DeWitty, PhD, MBA, RN
and Deputy Director of New
Careers in Nursing.
14. References
Diversity in Gender: The Y Factor, Ernest J. Grant, RN, MSN, FAAN,University of North Carolina
Healthcare, Director of Burn Outreach and Prevention
Nursing History and Social Context, Rosemary F. Hall, PhD, RN, MSN, BSN, University of Miami School
of Nursing & Health Studies
Men in Nursing Historical Timeline http://allnurses.com/men-in-nursing/men-nursing-historical-96326.html
Ten Pioneering Male Nurses - http://www.nursingschools.net/blog/2011/06/10-pioneering-male-nurses/
Ten African American Nurses Who Changed the Course of History
http://en.paperblog.com/10-african-american-nurses-who-changed-the-course-of-history-496808/
Minority Nurse. Nursing Statistics Fact Sheet http/www.minoritynurse.com/?q=minority-nursing-statistics
Male Nurses Brake Through Barriers to Diversify Profession http://www.rwjf.org/en/about-
rwjf/newsroom/newsroom-content/2011/09/male-nurses-break-through-barriers-to-diversify-profession.html
Gender –Based Barriers for Male Students in Nursing Education Programs: Prevalence and
Perceived Importance, O’Lynn, C. E. J Nur. Ed. 43 (2004)
Men in Nursing: The Importance of Gender Diversity, Sullivan, E. J., J Pro. Nur. 16,5, 253-254 (2000)
Men In Nursing: History, Challenges and Opportunities, Tranbarger and O’Lynn (eds), Springer Pub.
Co. (2006)
