This would result in a uniform coursework, with roughly equivalent graduation requirements, regardless of the school (Hampton, 1894). She proposed making nursing a three-year program, and limiting practical instruction to 8-hours a day, to ensure that students had sufficient time to learn new material (Hampton, 1894). She believed that nurse training programs should be run like other higher education programs, with "stated times for entrance into the school, and the teaching year should be divided according to the academic terms usually adopted in our public schools and colleges" (Hampton, 1894).
Case Western Reserve University
One of the more interesting facts about historical nursing is that nurses were typically unmarried or widowed women. In fact, nurses were oftentimes required to live in nursing homes in order to work in public-duty positions. Those nurses who were married were often employed as private duty nurses (Bullough, 2002). Therefore, it comes as little surprise that when Robb married Hunter Robb, a doctor, in 1894, she resigned her position as a nurse with John Hopkins Hospital. However, what is somewhat surprising is that Robb's marriage did not end her involvement with the nursing profession. Instead of simply becoming a housewife, Robb continued to actively educate future nurses.
When the couple moved to Cleveland, Robb "became a professor of gynecology at Case Western Reserve University" (Bullough, 2002).
In addition to teaching gynecology, while working at Case Western, Robb "took an active role in the development of the curriculum for the new hospital" and helped found the Lakeside Training School, which is now known as the Francis Payne Bolton School of Nursing (Francis Payne, 2009). There, she attempted to institute her ideals that nurse training "should not only prepare women to give compassionate care to the sick, but also to take an active role in reforming the conditions that produce illness" (Francis Payne, 2009). While she was not able to remedy all of the problems plaguing both nursing education and the nursing profession at the time, Robb did have a noted impact on Lakeside. Even before World War I, "the Lakeside Training School achieved a reputation for producing excellent graduate nurses" (Francis Payne, 2009).
Nurses Associated Alumnae of the United States and Canada
Robb was also president of the Nurses Associated Alumnae of the United States and Canada (NAAUC), which is now known as the American Nurses Association (ANA). In fact, she was its first president in 1897 (AAHN, 2008). Robb helped set up the 1896 meeting that was the first convention of the NAAUC. She was one of less than twenty nurses in attendance (ANA, 2009). "Not one of the original attendees was a registered nurse, there were no laws licensing nurses at that time" (ANA, 2009). However, Robb, as well as the other attendees pushed for higher standards in both nursing education and the practice of nursing, which helped lead to licensure for nurses. The NAAUC became the ANA in 1911.
Even after retiring from the active practice of nursing, Robb maintained an active role in the profession. As noted above, she taught gynecology at Case Western. However, she also helped establish the nursing program at Columbia University. There she directed the establishment of a hospital economics course at Teachers College. This course eventually "became the base for the department of nursing education" (Bullough, 2002).
International Council of Nurses
The influence of Robb's time in Rome could be seen in her later professional...
Essay Topic Examples 1. The Evolution of Nursing Practices From Antiquity to Modern Day: This essay would explore the transformation of nursing practices from the rudimentary methods in ancient civilizations, through the impact of religious institutions in the Middle Ages, to the professional and evidence-based approaches in contemporary nursing. It delves into key historical events, influential figures such as Florence Nightingale, and the evolving scope of nursing responsibilities over time. 2. Role
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