Legacy of Nursing History Essay Paper
Legacy of Nursing’s History Essay Paper
Select a nurse that historically contributed to the advancement of the profession.In a 2–3-page paper (not including the title page or reference page), include the following information:
Describe the background of the nurse you selected.
Discuss the major social issues occurring at the time this nurse lived.
Describe two contributions this nurse made to the nursing profession including an explanation of how these two unique contributions influenced current nursing practice. You may use your textbook, readings, and the following for background information.
Legacy of Nursing’s History
Nursing in the USA has its modern roots in the 19th century. Many individuals engaged in advocacy efforts to legitimize nursing through establishing institutions and schools of thought that were deeply embedded in the social systems of the time. Significant efforts were put into bringing nursing into the modern era by addressing the inherent shortcomings that were apparent at the time (Black, 2020). This paper discusses the position that Mary Eliza Mahoney played in changing the steadfast stereotype of nursing of the 20th century and bringing about positive change to the profession.
Describe the background of the nurse you selected.
The selected nurse is Mary Eliza Mahoney who was born in 1845 and died in 1926. An African American who lived at a time when women and the African American community was pursuing equality, Mary sought to pursue a nursing career as a way of encouraging greater equality for the African American community and women. Owing to her progressive efforts, she become the first licensed nurse in the African American community. Born in Boston, Massachusetts, in 1845, Mary was brought up as a first generation descendant of freed slaves. From an early age, she learned that there was no racial equality in America. She attended the Phillips School in Boston where she received formal education. During her teenage years, Mary identified nursing as an opportunity to pursue equality and began working at the New England Hospital for Women and Children as a way of gaining entry into the health care industry. Legacy of Nursing History Essay Paper The hospital employed an all women staff and was dedicated to providing health care to only children and women. Mary worked at the hospital for fifteen years during which time she was engaged in different roles as a washer, cook and janitor (Lofton, 2021).
In 1878, Mary enrolled in the hospital’s nursing school to pursue a professional graduate nursing program. She graduated from the program after 16 months of intensive training and become the first African American to earn a professional nursing license in the USA. Although she was licensed to practice as a professional nurse, Mary was unable to find employment owing to discrimination. She opted to practice as a private nurse providing care to individual clients from wealthy white families who lived along the east coast. Owing to her experiences with racial discrimination, Mary become an avid advocate of equality in the nursing profession. She co-founded the National Association of Colored Graduate Nurses (NACGN) in 1908 as an organization that advocated for equality of African American nurses in the USA. In addition to advocating for nurses’ equality, Mary championed women’s rights and was among the first women to register as a voter in Boston after the 19th Amendment was ratified in 1920. She died in 1926 at the age of 80 years after battling breast cancer for three years (Lofton, 2021).
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Discuss the major social issues occurring at the time this nurse lived.
At the time Mary live, the major social issues were racial equality and women’s rights. Racial equality was a concern since slavery had just been outlawed, but African Americans did not have the same rights as their White counterparts. The African American community faced significant open and overt discrimination that prevented them from receiving high quality education, and working on jobs for which they were qualified. In addition, women faced discrimination as they did not enjoy the same rights and privileges as their male counterparts. Case in point, women did not have voting rights until the 19th Amendment was ratified in 1920 (Black, 2020).
Describe two contributions this nurse made to the nursing profession including an explanation of how these two unique contributions influenced current nursing practice.
Mary made two significant contributions to the nursing profession. Firstly, she legitimized the role of Black women in the profession by advocating for racial equality in the profession by advocating for the rights of African American nurses. Secondly, she established nursing as a professional career that African American women can pursue. She did this by becoming the first Black women to graduate from a nursing education program and pursuing a nursing career that she excelled in as she practiced as a private nurse in the face of facial discrimination that prevented her from getting employed (Dahlkemper, 2018).
Conclusion
One must accept that the nursing profession has evolved and undergone many ideological changes even as it has turned into the modern version of the profession. In addition, one must acknowledge that Mary Eliza Mahoney was influential in bringing about some of the pioneering changes to the profession. Born into a family of freed slaves, she faced significant difficulties in getting education and pursuing a nursing career as she was subjected to racial discrimination. She is noted for being the first African American to gain graduate from a nursing education program and gain a practicing license thus legitimizing the role of Black women in the nursing profession. In addition, she actively advocated for human rights was among the first to register as a female voter following the ratification of the 19th Amendment. Overall, Mary Eliza Mahoney left an indelible mark in the advocacy efforts for the modern nursing profession of the 20th century and beyond.
References
Black, B. P. (2020). Professional Nursing: Concepts & Challenges (9th ed.). Elsevier.
Dahlkemper, T. (2018). Nursing Leadership, Management, and Professional Practice for the LPN/LVN (6th ed.). F.A. Davis Company.
Lofton, E. (2021). History That Has Not Been Told: The Cultural Experience of African Americans in America. Author House.
