Famous Nurse in History

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Running Header: Lillian Wald

Lillian Wald:
A Famous Nurse in History

Lillian Ward
While combing endless websites trying to find a nurse that spoke to me, I finally stumbled upon one that really seemed to make a difference in her time. She saw a need for change and took the initiative to make it happen. That nurse was Lillian Wald. Born into a wealthy family on March 10, 1867, Wald desired to help people and decided to attend nursing school. Her path would set an example for all nurses to follow. Before her death on September 1, 1940, Lillian Wald left her mark, not only on the United States, but on the world. After attending a nursing program at New York Hospital Training School, Wald worked as a nurse at the New York Juvenile Asylum. After working there for only a short time, she realized she wanted more. She wanted to make change. "She had too much individuality to be willing to lose herself as a cog in an established institution. Instinctively, she wanted to change things—to do better" (“Women of Valor”, 2001).Wald enrolled in Women’s Medical College. After seeing the poverty in the tenement houses first hand, she immediately made the decision to never return to nursing within an institution. Instead she would educate people within the community. This is where the term “public health nurse” was first used. Driven by her desire to help the less fortunate and her disgust of the living conditions she found in the tenement homes, Wald and classmate Mary Brewster decided to step away from their comfortable arrangements and live among the people they felt needed to be served. They suffered the same hardships including extreme temperatures and economic depression. They served people in their homes, teaching preventative measures and care for the sick. Even amongst the extreme poverty, Lillian Wald saw the need for standards of care. Imagining the people she

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