XII. Peter Bent Brigham Hospital School of Nursing Records, 1887–2023.
Scope and Contents
Series XII consists of the records of the Peter Bent Brigham Hospital School of Nursing from its founding in 1912 until its closing in 1985, including accreditation, student applications and transcripts, course records, yearbooks, photographs, uniforms, and memorabilia. Some records, kept by the director of the school in her dual role as director of nursing, and related to the administration of the professional staff nursing staff, are also included. Nursing school alumni publications are included through the present.
Dates
- Creation: 1887–2023.
Physical Description
13 cubic feet in 5 records center cartons, 9 oversize boxes, 1 letter size document box, and 2 half-letter size document boxes.
Conditions Governing Access
Access requires advance notice. Access to unpublished administrative records is restricted for 50 years from the date of creation. Patient information is restricted indefinitely. Restricted records, except restricted patient photographs, are noted in the finding aid. Researchers may apply for access to restricted material. Contact the Director of Brigham and Women’s Hospital Medical Library BWHMedicalLibrary@partners.org for further information.
Extent
1 collection (69.72 cubic feet in 44 records center cartons, 39 oversize boxes, 3 index card boxes, 2 letter size document boxes, 3 half letter size document boxes, 1 cylindrical storage case for rolled drawings, 1 oversize drawer, and 1 shelf.)Biographical / Historical
The Peter Bent Brigham Hospital School of Nursing, established as a department of the new hospital under the direction of Carrie M. Hall, RN, began classes in November 1912, before the construction of the hospital was complete. The first class of 16 nurses graduated in 1915. Carrie M. Hall was the first Principal of the School and the Superintendent of Nursing for the hospital, a position she held for 25 years. Miss Hall became a leader in the nursing profession during her time at the Peter Bent Brigham Hospital, building a student program around the then new idea of professionalizing nursing. Her reforms included the requirement that students have a high school education before being admitted to the school and the implementation of a three-year curriculum based on a credit system similar to colleges. Once past their 6 month probationary period all the student nurses worked on the patient wards full-time, in addition to their classroom assignments in the sciences and nursing arts. (Using students to provide nursing service for the hospital was a remnant of the old, apprenticeship training system for nurses, which remained the universal practice for many years.) Second year lectures were about surgery and medical diseases. In their third year students were assigned to affiliated hospitals for instruction in obstetrics and pediatrics. With entrance requirements more stringent and education more thorough than required by state regulations, Carrie Hall laid the foundation for the Peter Bent Brigham Hospital School of Nursing subsequent reputation as a pre-eminent source of leaders in nursing. The school graduated 2617 nurse during its 73 years of existence.
As medical science progressed the need for nurses with specialized training grew and there was a shift to a greater role for nurses in the overall coordination of patient care. The preparation of nurses gradually evolved away from hospital based training programs to schools of nursing within colleges and universities. A baccalaureate degree became the entry-level credential for a nurse. The Peter Bent Brigham Hospital was unable to negotiate an association of their nursing school with a college offering students an academic degree, without also losing full control of its clinical program. For this reason, and the fact that the financial cost of maintaining the school had become insupportable, the decision was made to close the Peter Bent Brigham Hospital School of Nursing after graduating its last class of nurses in 1985.
Bibliography:
- King, Marilyn. The Peter Bent Brigham Hospital School of Nursing: A History: 1912–1985. Boston, Mass.: 1987.
- Hall Carrie M. “Memoires of the School of Nursing.” Brigham Bulletin, April 1953, 9.
- Farrington, Margarita M. “Today and Tomorrow.” Speech, to the School of Nursing Alumnae. Peter Bent Brigham Hospital Fiftieth Anniversary Celebration, Doctor’s Amphitheatre, Peter Bent Brigham Hospital, Boston, MA, May 30, 1963.
Creator
- From the Collection: Peter Bent Brigham Hospital (Organization)
Repository Details
Part of the Center for the History of Medicine (Francis A. Countway Library of Medicine) Repository
The Center for the History of Medicine in the Francis A. Countway Library of Medicine is one of the world's leading resources for the study of the history of health and medicine. Our mission is to enable the history of medicine and public health to inform healthcare, the health sciences, and the societies in which they are embedded.