The Strong, Gentle and Wise: Anna Caroline Maxwell
Under the guide of Linda Richard in 1876 to graduating, to becoming a co-founder of a nursing university in 1892, to army-nurse, saving hundreds from a disease in the Spanish-American war of 1898, and finally becoming a caring leader creating an environment for new nurses, and teaching fellow nurses the appropriate way to care for their patients. Anna Maxwell has gone through various challenges in the span of her early nursing career. Becoming a strong historical figure in the late nineteen hundreds, but still having the gentleness of a nurse to care for her patients.
Anna Caroline Maxwell, born March 14, 1851, in Bristol, New York moved to Canada along her family during her young years
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Subsequently after graduation, Maxwell’s nursing career escalated magnificently.
Maxwell was referred to New York and established a training system at Montreal General Hospital immediately after graduation. Although for six months, Maxwell worked effortlessly to try and change the old standards of the hospital conditions, but she did not succeed, because she was “work[ing] with managers and doctors not ready to make proper concessions for a school, with poor living conditions, no arrangement for the education of the students, and with few applicants for entrance as probationers” (Lipponcott, 1921). Therefore, she moved to England for three months and visited various hospitals to understand their living conditions, so she could return to New York and construct an improved plan for Montreal Hospital. Once Maxwell returned to American the following year though Kenny (n.d) states Maxwell was hired as superintendent in Massachusetts General Hospital’s Training School for Nurses in Montreal, Boston from 1881-1889. While in Boston, Maxwell immensely improves the hospital, such as “a nurses ' residence was built, a library for the school was established, nurses were relieved of many housekeeping duties, and there was a noticeable improvement in the type of young woman applying for entrance” (Conrad, 1971). As a result
Before the existence of the Great War, America had fought in previous wars. In the years before the Great War nursing was not even a word for the women who had helped with the aid of fallen soldiers. Florence Nightingale, who helped in establishing nursing as a career used her efforts in organizing an emergency nursing service (Dahlman 2). Nightingale started off at first with forty women, some of whom were Sisters of Religious Nursing Orders and others hospital-taught women of the old school, not trained in the modern way, but experienced (Dahlman 3). Florence Nightingale founded the Nightingale Training School for Nurses at St. Thomas’ Hospital which was the parent of the modern system of nursing. From her, therefore, we may well date the story of nursing service of the American Red Cross (Dahlman 4).
Mary Breckinridge faced what could be seen as insurmountable losses early in her life. She had first lost her husband of two years, when he died due to complications of appendicitis, following with the loss of her two children due to illness and childbirth complications. (nursing-theory.org) Mary, however, was determined to dedicate her life to those she felt were most at risk. After witnessing an illness of a friend’s child, she attended St. Luke’s Hospital Training School in New York and graduated in 1910 as a nurse. She specifically felt that care provided to those being treated in rural areas were not up to standards, so she worked diligently to improve care and was seen as one of the first midwives of nursing. Mary
Determination and great effort are some of the words that come to mind when reviewing some of the heroic acts by the great nursing pioneers. World War I brought out to light amazing people. There was great necessity for medical assistance in the battlefield and outside the battlegrounds (Nies and McEwen 2011). Mary Breckenridge is an example of the women whom influenced in medical care of the wounded during the war. Aside from establishing the Frontier Nursing Service (FNS), Mary Breckenridge moved to the rural areas following her passion to care for disadvantaged women and children (Stanhope and Lancaster,
Nightingale, F. (1860).Notes on nursing: what it is and what it is not. New York:D.Appleton And Company.
Changes in the late 1800's resulted in universities admitting women, thus allowing them to explore many more educational opportunities. These factors together provided the impetus for establishment of hospitals and schools to formally train nurses, with many schools opening for the first time in the 1870s. At the same time, though the need for nurses had been established and the importance of their role within the realm of medical care recognized, there was a great deal of opposition to the proposal that nurses should be formally educated. This attitude was epitomized by a well-known article of the time published in 1908, 'The over-trained nurse' in which the author asserted that nursing was not a “profession” but merely an “honorable calling”. Consistent with this notion, public perception viewed nursing as a job that women were generally suited to perform rather than one which required special skill and was even equated with a religious “calling”. This view, influenced by early nursing's relationship with religious orders remained far into the 20th century.(Lasseter, 1999).
One aspect of nursing that has changed since the early 1800’s is nursing education. There was no question about the credibility of the women providing care to soldiers after the war. For many years untrained nurses and consequently nursing students cared the sick without any supervision. In 1873, the need for educated nurses was sought but was opposed by untrained physicians who thought trained nurses would pose a threat to their jobs (Gary & Hott, 1988). “Nurses have evolved
Alice Magaw was born November 9, 1860, in Cashocton, Ohio. Besides her contribution to nursing, little is known about Alice’s personal life and what inspired her to enter the field on nursing. However, one can guess that she saw a demand for nurses and had a passion for caring for others. During this time period, nursing schools were incorporated into hospitals. Alice Magaw attended the Women’s Hospital School of Nursing in Chicago from 1887 to1889, around the time that nursing began to transform from a lower class occupation to a respectable profession. After graduation Alice worked as a private duty nurse in Chicago. In 1893, Alice began her work under Dr. William J. and Charles H.
In the world today nursing plays a major role that often associates with Civil War women, due to the fame of Clara Barton. Clara later founded “the American Red Cross in 1881.” Unlike other nurses she went out to the battlefield to nurse the soldier where they have fallen. With that courageous act she became known at the “Angel of the Battlefield.” Clara was a courageous
These early nurses were quickly educated on the rigors of war and the primitive accommodations. Hundreds of women lasted little more than a month and for those that did last the work became gratifying and their Christian mission. At the bloodiest moments of the war, nurses braved heat of moment and offered selflessly to treat injured. These ladies
Nursing has been around since the times of the ancient civilizations of Egyptians, Greeks and Romans. Nursing today is considered as one of the noblest profession one can have. Who is this lady that helped changed the face of Medicine and whose works continue to serve as practices for the modern times. The woman who transformed and improved the caring profession and created notes and the fundamentals of what Nursing is and what Nursing is not.
In the fall of 1862, a war raged between the union and confederate forces at the Battle of Antietam. More than 130,000 soldiers fought, more than 22,000 were wounded. On the battlefront was a woman, Ms. Clara Barton, nicknamed the “Angel of the Battlefield”. Ms. Barton observed the strain of frontline battle, namely hunger, sickness, and wounds and once said “I may be compelled to face danger, but never fear it, and while our soldiers can stand and fight, I can stand and feed and nurse them”. (CITATION) It is this same dedication to nursing and our armed forces that drives my philosophy of nursing.
Throughout history, society has considered women to be the natural caregivers of children, family, and community. Women were naturally thought of as nurses because the act was said to be an extension of their role in the home. They were called in to homes to help deliver babies or as wet nurses to breastfeed. In the 1800’s, women began taking care of soldiers. It was then that Florence Nightingale cared for soldiers in the Crimean War. During this time she revolutionized the role by setting standards of cleanliness and reducing infection. The legacy of nursing continues to be enriched by those who continue to follow the example of nursing pioneers. They refuse to be bound by others’ views
Like any scientific discipline, the nursing profession has evolved over time. Nurses, once regarded as housemaids and lower class citizens, now hold positions of authority and stature in our modern society. These changes in the profession are attributed to the many nurse theorists who devoted their lives to the improvement of patient care. Through their theoretical advancements, the public perception of nursing has gone from dismissive to reverential. Today, our culture considers the nursing profession to be one of the most rewarding and respected career paths an individual can pursue. Through a review of one such patient theorist, Dorothea Orem, one can witness this change in the perception of the nursing profession. As a first semester student in a professional nursing course of study, Orem has already influenced my personal nursing philosophy.
The roles and functions of nurses have a very fascinating history and have evolved since the 19th century. Landale (1895), in her letter to the editor of the Nursing Record and Hospital World gave us a glimpse of what a nurse should be during that period. Referring to a nurse as a woman in uniform, it gave us an idea that nursing was a female dominated vocation and not to be treated as an economical occupation for financial gain. Landale (1895) placed an emphasis on the characteristic of being a servant and being devoted to service in order to be a nurse who was worthy of the uniform.
The evolution of nursing as a profession had showed through time that it is both an art and science. Before the 19th century, the military and religious orders are the ones who perform the duties of how nurses work today. As time went by, different events throughout history such as wars and epidemics had shaped nursing to its present organization. Nowadays, nursing is pushing further towards the future in improving itself as a profession for better care and service to the community. The objective of this paper is to discuss the historical development of