For over 400 years, a diverse array of nurses, nurses’ aides, midwives, and public-minded citizens across the United States have attended to the health care of America’s equally diverse populations. Beginning in 1607 when the first Englishmen landed in Virginia, and concluding in 2016 when Flint, Michigan, was declared to be in a state of emergency, this expansive nursing history text for undergraduate and graduate nursing programs examines the history of the nursing profession to help the reader better understand how nursing became what it is today. Grounded in the premise that health care can and should be promoted in partnership with communities to provide quality care for all, this history analyzes the resilience and innovation of nurses who provided care for the most underprivileged populations, such as slaves on Southern plantations, immigrants in tenements in Manhattan’s Lower East Side, and isolated populations in rural Kentucky. It takes into account issues of race, class, and gender, and the influence of these factors on nurses and patients. Featuring nearly 300 photos, oral histories, and personal accounts from varied settings in the United States and other countries, the narrative discusses major medical and scientific advances, prominent leaders and grassroots movements in nursing, and ethical dilemmas that nurses faced with each change in the profession. Chapters include discussion questions for class sessions as well as a list of suggested reading.

Nursing in the colonial era and early days of the United States, 1607-1840 / John Kirchgessner -- The roots of a profession, 1830-1865 / Arlene Keeling -- The rise of a profession : an art and a science, 1873-1901 / Michelle C. Hehman -- Visiting nurses in cities, parishes, and missions, 1886-1914 / Arlene Keeling -- Professional organizations and international connections, 1881-1920 / Michelle C. Hehman -- Organization and innovation in the early 20th century, 1898-1928 / Arlene Keeling -- Nurses, science, and the growth of hospitals, 1910-1930 / Michelle C. Hehman -- Nurses in the news : the great war and pandemic influenza, 1914-1919 / Arlene Keeling -- Nurses, babies, and public health, 1920s / Arlene Keeling -- Nursing in the great depression, 1930-1940 / Arlene Keeling -- Nurses in World War II : overseas and at home, 1940-1945 / Arlene Keeling -- Mid-century transitions and shortages, 1945-1960 / John Kirchgessner -- Specialization, war, and the expansion of nursing's scope of practice, 1961-1980 / Arlene Keeling -- Caring in crisis, 1980-2000 / Michelle C. Hehman -- Toward a culture of health : nursing in the 21st century / Arlene Keeling.