NR 390 Week 5 Discussion, Progress in Nursing in the Early-to-Mid 20th Century

NR 390 Week 5 Discussion, Progress in Nursing in the Early-to-Mid 20th Century There was much progress in nursing during the early-to-middle part of the 20th century (1900 through the late 1930s). After reading the textbook and the lesson for this week, describe one area of change in nursing that intrigues you during that time period. Discuss how that area could be applied today. There were great advances in public health nursing during the early part of the 20th century. Lillian Wald, who, according to our lesson this week, is credited with being the first public health nurse, founded the Henry Street Settlement in NYC. The Henry Street Settlement was created in 1893 and still runs out of Manhattan’s Lower East Side. It was created with the intent of providing social and health care programs for low income residents. Today, the Henry Street Settlement provides a range of services to the community, including a senior center, meals on wheels, child day care centers, transitional residences for homeless families, outpatient mental health and primary care medical clinics, job training and placement for displaced workers, education and recreational programs for youth, housekeeping services for the homebound elderly and sick population as well as arts programs for the general public (Henry). Wald also advocated for children in the community. Many children during that time were kept home from school due to illness. The inception of the school nursing program in the early 1900s allowed for school children to be cared by nurses allowing the improvement of attendance. School nurses worked to control common childhood diseases. They also were instrumental in the control of communicable diseases of that time. Wald also worked the US Congress to establish the US Children’s Bureau, who in turn was responsible in the creation of laws relative to children including: child labor laws, juvenile court laws, adoption rules and offenses against women and children (Judd). In addition to Wald, our text speaks of other public health advocates such as Margaret Sanger, a public health nurse in NYC who advocated for women’s health by enforcing education regarding labor, pregnancy and safe abortion practices, among other topics. Sanger established the Birth Control League, which eventually became what we know as Planned Parenthood. In 1922, she wrote The Pivot of Civilization in which she supported a woman’s reproductive freedom. By the 1920s, public health nursing was recognized as a “valuable healthcare resource” (Judd, p. 160). The immigrant population of the time relied on home remedies and nursing out of the home. Many did not have the resources to seek help in hospitals. Due to the successes of public health nurses of the time, the US Health Department began to allocate resources and funding to programs for the communities. Hygienic and sanitary conditions were enforced leading to a decrease in communicable diseases in the community. In addition, the instruction of vaccines greatly helped in the increase of public life expectancy of the time. Many great advances in public health nursing are still prevalent in today’s practice. The Community or Public Health Nurse continues to take on a number of roles with regards to the public’s health, providing direct care as well as taking on the role of educator or counselor. Public health nurses also continue to advocate for women and children in the community. The school nurse is a role that has evolved over time. Since the inception of the role, they have been responsible for identifying and treating communicable diseases as well as identifying problems that may affect learning. These days, the school nurse continues to work on educating students on health topics such as hygiene; but also, topics such as sex education and alcohol and tobacco use. Public health nurses continue to play a vital role in the community; providing a multitude of services for the poor, women, children and all other vulnerable populations. Henry Street Settlement About. Retrieved from Judd, D., & Sitzman, K. (2014). A History of American nursing: Trends and eras (2nd ed.). Burlington, MA: Jones & Bartlett.