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DID YOU KNOW?
1908-1920: The Early Years
During the early part of the 20 century, the health
needs in the state of Washington were many and varied. Although the trend was
for more hospitals, the bulk of hospital nursing service was provided by
students, and the largest field for graduate nurses was private duty nursing in
the hospital and the home. The hours were long and the wages low. In the
majority of cases, this meant 20-24 hour duty with an average wage of $3-$5 per
day. It was also in this period that the need for the visiting or public health
nurse became apparent. The first industrial nurses were also employed in this
era – and indications were that this too would be a consistently growing field
of nursing.
As the country moved into World War I, the first
experience with a serious shortage of trained nurses became a reality. The need
for nurses was compounded by the national influenza epidemic of 1918 and the
public demands for the development of public health. These factors placed a
heavy burden on the nursing profession. In addition, the scope of nursing
practice was expanding with corresponding demands for nurses in laboratory work,
anesthesia and hospital staff work.
1908:
Following two years of intense work, the delegates
of the third Washington State Graduate Nurses Association (WSGNA) Convention
finalize and adopt the original Articles of Incorporation.
1909:
WSGNA lobbies the Legislature and achieves passage
of the first Nurse Practice Act in Washington State. This was no small feat in
that many legislators feared that the title “Registered Nurse” would make is
possible for nurses to practice medicine, surgery or midwifery. Nurses, however,
were determined not to fail in their first organized attempt to set standards
and gain status. This was the beginning of the aggressive government relations
program that remains an integral part of the Washington State Nurses Association
today.
Text and article images ©WSNA
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