“Our
basic idea was that the nurse’s peculiar introduction to the
patient and her organic relationship with the neighborhood should
constitute the starting point for a universal service to the
region... We planned to utilize, as well as to be implemented by
all agencies and groups of whatever creed which were working for
social betterment, private as well as municipal. Our scheme was
to be motivated by a vital sense of the interrelation of all these
forces... We considered ourselves best described by the term
‘public health nurses.’ ”
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Wald coined
the term “public health nurse” in 1893 for nurses
who worked outside hospitals in poor and middle-class communities.
Specializing in both preventative care and the preservation of
health, these nurses responded to referrals from physicians and
patients, and received fees based on the patient’s ability to pay.
In response to growing demand from all sides, Wald helped to
initiate a series of lectures to educate prospective nurses at
Columbia University’s Teachers College in 1899. Students attended
classes at Columbia and received their field training at Henry
Street. This series led to the formation of the University’s
Department of Nursing and Health in 1910. By 1912, public health
nurses—sometimes called visiting or district nurses—had begun
to have significant impact. Wald and her colleagues in the public
health movement recognized the need for the establishment of
professional standards for public health nurses. Like other
professional organizations, the National Organization of Public Health Nurses (NOPHN) was designed to set
professional standards, share techniques and protect the reputations
of its members. Wald was elected as the organization’s first
president. |
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source | full image
source | full image
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