History of Professional Nursing in the United States: Toward a Culture of Health

For over 400 years, a diverse array of nurses, nurses’ aides, midwives, and public-minded citizens across the United States have attended to the health care of America’s equally diverse populations. Beginning in 1607 when the first Englishmen landed in Virginia, and concluding in 2016 when Flint, Michigan, was declared to be in a state of emergency, this expansive nursing history text for undergraduate and graduate nursing programs examines the history of the nursing profession to help the reader better understand how nursing became what it is today.

Grounded in the premise that health care can and should be promoted in partnership with communities to provide quality care for all, this history analyzes the resilience and innovation of nurses who provided care for the most underprivileged populations, such as slaves on Southern plantations, immigrants in tenements in Manhattan’s Lower East Side, and isolated populations in rural Kentucky. It takes into account issues of race, class, and gender, and the influence of these factors on nurses and patients.

Featuring nearly 300 photos, oral histories, and personal accounts from varied settings in the United States and other countries, the narrative discusses major medical and scientific advances, prominent leaders and grassroots movements in nursing, and ethical dilemmas that nurses faced with each change in the profession. Chapters include discussion questions for class sessions as well as a list of suggested reading.

KEY FEATURES:

• Examines the history of nursing during the past four centuries
• Links challenges for nurses in the past to those of present-day nurses
• Includes oral histories, medical discoveries, legal and ethical issues, personal perspectives, archival sites, discussion questions, suggested reading, and abundant notes
• Covers drugs, technological innovations, and scientific advances in each era