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FeatureWhatever Became of Nursing Caps?Frilly or starched, they were once icons of the professionAsk a working nurse today about nursing caps and she will probably tell you about the oversized paper bonnet that covers the hair during surgical procedures and is tossed out after a single use. Ask a retired nurse, however, and it’s likely her eyes...
Profiles In NursingAnn Bradford Stokes (1830–1903), From Civil War “Contraband” to U.S. Navy PensionerAfter escaping the plantation where she was enslaved, Stokes boarded a Union hospital ship and volunteered to become a Navy nurse.After escaping the plantation where she was enslaved, Ann Bradford Stokes boarded a Union hospital ship and volunteered to become a Navy nurse. Later, she became the first woman in U.S. Navy history to be granted a military pension for her own service....
Nursing Book ClubThe Doctors Blackwell: How Two Pioneering Sisters Brought Medicine to Women — and Women to Medicine by Janice P NimuraWe've come so farIt’s interesting to wonder what really motivates people, especially important historical figures. In her new book, The Doctors Blackwell, author Janice P. Nimura delves into the lives of groundbreaking 19th century female physicians Elizabeth and Emily...

Nursing Education

Profiles In NursingVirginia A. Henderson (1897–1996), Wrote the Book on Modern NursingThe 20th century’s answer to Florence NightingaleNursing care is more than performing a series of tasks — it is a holistic focus on restoring a patient’s health and independence. This once-revolutionary concept is just one of the core elements of nursing practice articulated by Virginia Henderson, a...
Profiles In NursingLouisa May Alcott (1832–1888), From “Hospital Sketches” to “Little Women”A beloved writer, she was also a Civil War nurse, staunch abolitionist and suffragetteBefore achieving fame for her literary accomplishments, Little Women author Louisa May Alcott served as a nurse during the Civil War. Although ill health forced her into premature retirement, her experiences as a nurse and a patient shaped her voice as a...
Feature130 Years of Anesthesia NursingThe origins and rocky history of nursing’s most controversial specialtyThe nurses who provide anesthesia to surgical, obstetrical and pain management patients today follow in the footsteps of some of the most outspoken and technically adept members of the nursing profession. Thanks to their efforts, certified registered...

Hiring Now

Profiles In NursingCol. Julia Stimson (1881–1948), Army Nurse Corps SuperintendentA decorated officer, she led 20,000 nurses during WWIOnce the highest-ranking woman in the U.S. Armed Forces, Julia Catherine Stimson, RN, served her country as a nurse, a social worker and a leader — including an 18-year tenure as superintendent of the Army Nurse Corps, the longest term in the Corps'...
Profiles In NursingMartha Ballard (1735-1812), Colonial Midwife and DiaristHer remarkable diary reveals a legacy of nursing in 18th century AmericaShe lived and died before Florence Nightingale was even born, but Martha Ballard’s diary still survives, providing us with a remarkable record of the lives of pioneer women and the practice of midwifery during the earliest years of the United States....
FeatureWhen Nurses Smoked in HospitalsIn years past, there was an ashtray on every patient nightstand, nurses lit up in break rooms, and doctors and nurses were featured in cigarette adsAn attractive young woman in a crisp, white vintage nurse’s uniform and cap smiles up at the reader, dangling a lit cigarette between her fingers. Printed above her is a boldface slogan: “You like them FRESH? So do I!” Although the copy for this...

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