Osborne sought to further involve herself in teaching and took on the role of the student once again to pursue higher education. Although she was gifted at the bedside, Osborne retained her love of teaching and became a nurse educator at the Lincoln School of Nursing in Kansas City, Missouri. Louis, Missouri, Osborne became the head nurse of the hospital for three years. Louis City Hospital #2, one of the first hospitals to serve African Americans in St. After graduating from the first nursing class of St. Born in 1901, Osborne initially hoped to work in education, but a violent experience while teaching prompted her to enter nursing instead (African American Registry, n.d.). Estelle Massey Riddle OsborneĪ recipient of the Mary Mahoney Award, Estelle Massey Riddle Osborne is remembered for her efforts to enable Black nurses to succeed in professional nursing (American Nurses Association, n.d.a), which Mary Mahoney herself had been shunned from. Her legacy as a trailblazer lives on through the Mary Mahoney Award, which is presented to nurses who work to promote and improve integration within the nursing profession. Mahoney established opportunities for Black nurses to contribute without opposition and set an example for future aspiring nursing students through her journey to become a nurse. Mahoney would go on to co-found the National Association of Colored Graduate Nurses (NACGN) in 1908 to provide a platform for African American nurses to advocate for equal rights. Using her status, Mahoney was able to join the Nurses Associated Alumnae of the United States and Canada (now known as the American Nurses Association, or ANA). Mahoney’s precise skills paired with her warm bedside manner earned her a reputation as an excellent nurse. Her accomplishment went unrecognized by her peers, and the discrimination Mahoney faced led her to become a full-time private nurse, acting as a caretaker for numerous affluent families. Through her hard work and dedication, Mary Mahoney joined this graduating class, becoming the very first African American to earn a professional nursing license. Of the 42 students who were accepted into the rigorous program, only three graduated (Spring, 2017). Here, she worked for fifteen years as a janitor, cook, and washerwoman before finally becoming a nurse’s aide, gaining considerable experience towards her goal (Spring, 2017).Īt 33 years old, Mahoney was admitted to her hospital’s nursing school. The complete absence of African Americans in the professional nursing field did not dissuade Mahoney from her vision as she began working for the New England Hospital for Women and Children, a facility that employed only female physicians. Becoming a nurse had been Mahoney’s dream ever since she was a teenager. Mary Eliza Mahoneyīorn on in Dorchester, Massachusetts, Mary Eliza Mahoney was the daughter of former slaves who had moved north in hopes of a more tolerant community (Hurst, 2009). For Black History Month, we would like to showcase just a few nurse leaders who contributed to advancing rights for African Americans in nursing and providing opportunities for the new generation of nurses today. Despite this adversity, Black nurses persevered and fought to provide skillful and sympathetic care to those who needed it. For decades, many African Americans were discouraged from nursing or discriminated against in the field. Nurses serve all walks of life with compassion, but not all nurses were afforded the same treatment. By Hayden Burfitt (UNLV School of Nursing Student Worker - Communications)
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