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Introduction
Nursing personnel occupies a prominent place in the US healthcare system and American society overall since a real chance for economic prosperity arises from vigorous and diligent work based on solid human health. This profession implies responsibility for the constant care of the injured, sick, and dying, as well as for maintaining the well-being of individuals, families, and communities at the medical and district levels. In the historical context, although this medical sphere had principally formed as a distinct occupation in the 19th century, its origin reaches back to ancient times. This paper aims at examining the prerequisites for the emergence of professional nursing and its development in the United States from early to contemporary times.
The History of Development
The Historical Background
The fundamentals of medicine and nursing care were laid over 4000 years ago, especially in ancient Egypt. In those times, many physicians and nurses possessed a rich pharmacologic arsenal consisting of 70 remedies to cure the ill and injured, starting from snakebites to puerperal fever (Masters, 2018). Greeks, in this regard, also enrich the knowledge, considering the health as a result of the balance between body and mind. Many famous historical figures, such as Hippocrates, Empedocles, and Plato, gave the first ideas of epidemiology, balanced nutrition, and recreation.
In the Middle Ages, nursing was primarily affected by Christianity with the development of deaconesses, female servants who, following the commandments of Christ, helped other people, especially the sick, poor, and disabled. Nursing received a strong impetus to the advancement in the era of the Crusades that facilitated the spread of communicable diseases. During that time, the practice of quarantine was developed and first implemented. In the Renaissance, the changes occurring in this sphere mainly resulted from the growth of various religious movements related to Protestantism (Masters, 2018). Reformation promoted the foundation of the first public hospitals where laywomen provided nursing care.
By the early 19th century, industrialization and associated urbanization had reshaped the healthcare landscape. In that period, the most prominent people who primarily influenced the nursing practice and sanitation concept were Edwin Chadwick, Lemuel Shattuck, Florence Nightingale (Masters, 2018). Chadwick, for instance, was the first person who paid close attention to the problem of unsanitary conditions in the big cities and demonstrated their adverse effect on economic prosperity and societys well-being overall.
Nevertheless, in the development of nursing in European countries in the 19th century, a significant role was played by the activities of a prominent figure, the Englishwoman Florence Nightingale. In contrast to the conventional belief that nurse is an unworthy career for well-bred ladies, Nightingale held that well-educated women applying scientific and innovative medical approaches could radically enhance the care of ill patients. She was famous for her organizational work during Britains Crimean War, where she, along with specially selected sisters of mercy, rebuilt the hospital distinguished by the most effective sanitary regime and nursing care (Masters, 2018). Besides, she was known for the reforms in army medical service, the foundation of Training School of Nursing at St Thomas Hospital, and their works, including Notes on Nursing, Notes on Hospitals, and Casandra (Masters, 2018). In particular, the School was the first educational establishment graduating professional nurses.
Early Nursing in the US
In the United States, the care of the sick was traditionally the responsibility of the family until the 19th century. Only during the hurricane epidemics that swept, the provision of medical care moved from the home to special institutions with professional staff by the standards of that time. By the onset of the 19th century, nevertheless, urbanization and industrialization shifted the way and places in which ill and injured people received care. Hospitals started to spread as the number of workers and the population of cities mounted, which consequently resulted in the increased demand for caregivers. It took another century after the first hospital opened in Philadelphia in 1751 before the public began to regard them as reputable and safe places to serve people for the benefit of their health ( In the beginning, n.d.). Moreover, the deficit of competent nurses who could ensure appropriate care to the patients required the government to review its policy concerning medical practice.
Early Nursing Education and Organizations in the US
Admitting the importance of appropriate nursing care to a patients health, some physicians commenced running courses for women interested in medicine. The first course of lectures for nurses was organized by Valentine Seaman in 1798, which taught the right care for maternity patients (Whelan, n.d). Moreover, the program the Nurse Society of Philadelphia trained women in helping mothers during childbirth and the postpartum period. Dr. Joseph Warrington, the founder of the program, firmly advocated for delivering instruction for females who strived to pursue nursing as an occupation (Whelan, n.d). In this regard, in 1839, he published a book titled The Nurses Guide that presented the first standards of nursing practice. Therefore, the Nurse Society set the first practice of involving people of this profession in care for patients in homes.
The beginning of the Civil War generated an urgent necessity for skilled professionals to care for the significant number of wounded and sick. Approximately 20,000 men and women worked as nurses in both the South and the North (Whelan, n.d). In 1861, Elizabeth Blackwell, the first woman who graduated from medical school in the US, initiated a course to assist in training women serving as nurses for the Union Army (Hayward, n.d). Other famous women, such as Clara Barton and Dorthea Dix, painstakingly worked to set professional and standardized care for Union soldiers. Overall, the war became a forge of nursing for thousands of women who previously had little or no experience and knowledge in this practice.
Professional Nurse Education
The valuable service rendered by nurses during the Civil War laid the foundation for future attempts in establishing special training programs. One such program was instituted by Womens Hospital of Philadelphia in Pennsylvania, which provided a six months training course, the first class of which graduated in 1869 (Whelan, n.d). Many of the early education schools were formed by the sample of Nightingales Training School of Nursing at St Thomas Hospital. The most known educational institutions were the New York Training School at Bellevue Hospital, the Boston Training School at Massachusetts General Hospital, and the Connecticut Training School at the State Hospital (Whelan, n.d). These three programs based on concepts offered by Florence Nightingale are typically recognized to be the precursors of vocational, organized nurse education in the United States.
According to Victorian belief in the natural qualities of women, the first nurses should have been sensitive and possess docility, high morals, and the purity of character. Such an approach frequently did not allow applicants from minorities and males to become a part of this profession. Nevertheless, the first professionally trained African American nurse was Mary Eliza Mahoney graduated from the New England Hospital for Women and Children Training School for Nurses in 1879 (Masters, 2018). She was also one of the first black members of the organization that was subsequently named as the American Nurses Association (ANA).
One of the remarkable events was the publication of a report titled Nursing and Nursing Education in the United States that supported the foundation of the university for the leaders of this sphere. Being realized in 1922, the report contained a comprehensive, 500-page investigation into the issues of this kind of education (Masters, 2018). The first university course for nurses developed by academics at the University of Minnesota in 1909 offered a 3-year diploma, which was a significant achievement. Later, another report called the Brown Report and published in 1948 became a spark for the following application of education nursing program accreditation via the National League for Nursing (Masters, 2018). Thus, during the first half of the 20th century, the essential features of professional medical education were formed.
The First Century of Professional Nursing
The most significant success in the development of this career was attained by the US in the 20th century, after the establishment of the central nursing organizations. For instance, in 1896, Isabel Robb created the Nurses Associated Alumnae that, in 1911, officially became named as the American Medical Association (AMA) (Masters, 2018). In addition, since 1900, the first professional nursing journal American Journal of Nursing began to issue, the first editor of which was Sophia Palmer (Masters, 2018). In the early twentieth century, other key organizations were formed, including the National Organization for Public Health Nursing and the National Association of Colored Graduate Nurses.
The onset of World War I and the subsequent influenza epidemic induced the mounting demand for trained caregivers in the US. Adelaide Nutting, the first female professor of nursing teaching at the Columbia University, organized the Committee on Nursing in answer to the increasing need of medical professionals when the US joined the war in Europe (Masters, 2018). Besides, Jane Delano and Lillian Wald commenced a national campaign for recruiting women interested in medicine. It is also worth noting the operation of the Army School Nursing headed by Annie Goodrich, which trained hundreds of nurses for the war. In total, around 23,000 American females and males were sent at the war front for providing care to the military forces of the US and its allies (Whelan, n.d). In this war, thousands of nurses proved their effectiveness and expediency, especially during the fiercest battles.
In this context, it would be relevant to describe one of the outstanding figures, without which the further development of this medical sphere would be impossible. This person was Lillian Wald, a wealthy young woman who graduated from New York Hospital School of Nursing and secured the place in the American history primarily for her conscious social behavior. Her fruitful work mainly started from the establishment of the Henry Street Settlement in 1893, which rendered an independent nursing service (Masters, 2018). This organization later grew into the Visiting Nurse Association of New York City that was a foundation for the development of public health nursing in the US (Masters, 2018). Overall, Lillian Wald transformed the practice from the limited function of home visiting to present community work.
Mid-twentieth Century Nursing
The post-World-War-II era, with dramatic scientific and technological changes, presented new tasks for this profession. In this regard, the notable changes were the advancements in surgery practice, the discovery of new drugs, and the expansion of private health insurance. Additionally, in 1950, the ANA adopted the first Code of Ethics for Nurses (Masters, 2018). Since 1952, the first international scientific journal Nursing Research has been published, which significantly promoted the evidence-based practice among professionals (Masters, 2018). In 1956, the Columbia University School of Nursing became the first institution in the US, which awarded a masters degree in a clinical nursing specialty ( The School of Nursing, n.d.). In those years, the traditional beliefs concerning the male position in nursing started altering as well.
The Contemporary Practice of Nursing
Despite discord among nurses regarding the appropriate place and type of education programs, in the late 20th century, this profession prospered. Since the 1960s, on the healthcare scene, new types of caregivers began to appear, including nurse practitioners who were prepared to deliver different primary care services. In particular, in 2017, the total number of registered nurses reached 4,015,250, including 922,196 licensed practical ones (National Council, 2018). Currently, clinical nurse specialists, nurse practitioners, and other qualified nurses perform a significant part of healthcare activities.
Conclusion
In summary, the paper has examined the historical background of professional nursing and its development in the United States from early to contemporary times. In particular, the paper has described the impact of ancient and Medieval civilizations and Nightingales accomplishments on the emergence of modern practice. In the context of the US, for example, the early period was marked by the establishment of the first hospital in Philadelphia in 1751 and the program the Nurse Society of Philadelphia. In addition, in the following centuries, the most prominent events were the foundation of the AMA, American Journal of Nursing, Henry Street Settlement, and the adoption of the Code of Ethics for Nurses. Altogether, unquestionably, nurses will continue to hold its status as a critical profession, serving the health-related nations needs.
References
Hayward, N. (n.d.). The history of nursing in the United States: Brief historical overview. The National Womens History Museum. Web.
In the beginning. (n.d.). Penn Medicine. Web.
Masters, K. (2018). Role development in professional nursing practice (5th ed.). Jones & Bartlett Learning.
National Council of State Boards of Nursing. (2018). The US nursing workforce in 2018 and beyond. Journal of Nursing Regulation, 8(4), S3-S6. Web.
The School of Nursing. (n.d.). Columbia University School of Nursing. Web.
Whelan, J. C. (n.d.). American nursing: An introduction to the past. University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing. Web.
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