Tuesday, December 2, 2008

Women in Nursing History continuation

Mary Seacole was a pioneering nurse and heroine of the Crimean War. She was a woman of mixed race, therefore subject to double prejudice. Mary -Jean Grant was born in Kingston, Jamaica in1805, her mother a Jamaican and her father a Scottish soldier. Mary learned her nursing skills from her mother, who kept a boarding house for invalid soldiers. In 1826 Mary married Edwin Seacole who died shortly after in 1844. In 1854 Mary travelled to England and approached the war office, asking to be sent as an army nurse to the Crimea, where there were known to be poor medical facilities for wounded soldiers. She was refused, but returned to Jamaica and established British Hotel in Balaclava, to provide a mass -table and comfortable quarters for sick and convalescent officers. She would often visit the battle field, sometimes under fire to nurse the wounded , and became known as "Mother Seacole" Her reputation was said to rival that of Florence Nightingale.
After the the war she returned to England in 1857, poor and destitute. She died May 14, 1881. Retrieved from web site December 02, 2008.


Mary Seacole, although she risked her life for many, died as a poor and destitute woman, but I would imagine a fulfilled one. Mary did all the things her heart desired, which was bringing comfort to the heroes of war. This is what humanity and selflessness is all about.










Mary Eliza Mahoney was the first professionally trained black R.N. in America. Born in Boston in 1845, she enrolled in nursing school in 1875. Out of a class of 40 students, only she at the age of 34 and two other students graduated in 1879. Mary Eliza was a hospital worker for many years before she began her career in nursing. She worked at the New England Hospital for women and children in various capacities including maid, cook, and washer woman.

As the first professionally trained black nurse, Mahoney changed the face of nursing forever. She was also noted for her excellence in nursing care, and today many nurses are receptiants of the "Mary Mahoney" award of excellence.

In 1876 Mahoney became a member of Nurses Association alumnae of the United States and Canada. In 1908 she co-founded the National Association of Coloured Graduate Nurses. Mahoney is believed to have been one of the first women registered and voted in Boston, following the passage of the 19th amendment in 1920.

After a three year battle with breast cancer, Mary Mahoney died in 1926.

Today Mary Mahoney's memory continues to inspire other women of colour who are part of the nursing profession.

Bois, D. (1997) . Distinguished women of the past.

Retrieved December 02, 2008, from Spartan Educational


























































Monday, December 1, 2008

Women in Nursing History

I have found women in nursing history to be a very interesting topic of discussion.

I would like to write about three women, Helen Fairchild, Mary Seacole, and Mary Eliza Mahoney, who have peaked my interest in the history of nursing and the army.

Helen Fairchild was the first African American nurse to work in the army over seas. Helen graduated from the Pennsylvania Hospital in 1913. On the out break of the first world war, Fairchild and 63 other nurses from Pennsylvania Hospital signed to serve in Europe. After arriving Fairchild was sent to"Casualth Clearing Station No.4". Fairchild began suffering from severe abdominal pain due to exposure to mustard gas, a poisonous gas used by the allies. Fairchild continued to work until before christmas in 1917 a barium meal revealed that a large gastric ulcer was obstructing her pylorus. She underwent a gastro-enterostomy operation January 13, 1918. Initially the surgery went well, but on the third day she began to detoriate, and after going into a coma, Helen died January 18, 1918. There are letters of interest written by Helen to her mother during her illness, posted on the web page for viewing.

Wednesday, November 26, 2008

Information technology

Is technology helping or hindering when it comes to overcoming communication barriers in healthcare.
In my opinion technology is helping the healthcare industry in that it is providing up-to-date information to the public and to healthcare professionals. Technology is helping to decrease wait times in hospitals, allowing the public to be more independent in their diagnosis and care, and nurses can have access to online learning.
With technology, the public is more informed, they are able self assess and instead of wait times spent in the emergency they are able to gain information from the internet, and self diagnose their conditionIs technology helping or hindering when it comes to overcoming communication barriers in healthcare.

Wednesday, November 19, 2008

Aestetic Nursing

Aestetic knowing in nursing involves deep appreciation of the meaning of a situation and calls forth inner creative resources that transform experience into what is not yet real, bringing to reality something that would not otherwise be possible (Chinn & Kramer, 2004, pp. 6)

Aestetical knowing is experiential, often non-verbal and shared by a nurse and the client.

Aesthetic knowing can be expressed in art form, poetry, story telling, or photography. The nurse while performing her daily nursing duties is also creating art. movements carried out while making a bed, performing a dressing change, or simpley holding a patient's hand express a multitude of meanings to the patient. With thanks a patient reminds us that " quiet acts of humanity have more healing than the high-dose radiation and chemotherapy thar holds the hope of cure (Gramblin, 2004, p. 388).

Wednesday, October 8, 2008

THE INTERNET:ADVANTSGE OR DISADVANTAGEFOR WRITING SCHOLARLY PAPER

The Internet is an interesting global medium of information for the general public. Even though finding the correct information may be challenging at times many people still rely on it.

There are many advantages and disadvantages to accessing the Internet for relevant articles for one's theses.

Some disadvantages to retrieving information is it can be time consuming sorting through all the articles you receive from your search. Not having a printer could also leave you at a disadvantage, as it is difficult to record all the information in hard copy. Another disadvantage is that the information may not be current or the source reliable.

The advantages I find is that it allows you to use only the information you need, and having 24 hours a day access to a world of information.

mpeartblog/nursing

blogging is difficult for me also finding my assignments .
I would like to continue working on this