Linda Richards

The Women’s Hospital of Philadelphia, established in 1861, began a training program for nurses in 1863. It is probably the first in the country to have offered any kind of formal training in the profession. The New England Hospital for Women and Children in Boston was founded in 1862, and established a school for nurses in 1872; this school is generally considered the first nursing school in the country. Linda Richards (1841-1930) was one of the first students to enroll in the New England Hospital’s school, and became the country’s first formally trained nurse when she graduated in 1873 from its year-long program. Also in 1873, three more nursing schools were established: the Bellevue Hospital Training School in New York; the Connecticut Training School in New Haven; and the Boston Training School in Massachusetts General Hospital.

Even after female nurses were accepted by the medical establishment, they were often seen as workhorses more than professionals. Student nurses learned their profession at hospitals rather than universities and for the most part, represented cheap labor to these institutions; during their training, they swept, mopped, dusted, washed dishes, and performed many other menial tasks. Even when they moved on to more clearly medical duties, they still had little scope for independence. They might sterilize equipment, make up boxes of bandages, sharpen needles, and dress bandages, but all of this work was done under close supervision. Doctors expected complete deference to their decisions and authority.

Bessie Simpson With Supply Cart at the New England Hospital for Women and Children, courtesy Jamaica Plain Historical Society

Nursing Students at the New England Hospital for Women and Children, courtesy Jamaica Plain Historical Society

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