![]() ![]() She is now recognized as the first Black registered nurse in the United States.Īfter graduating, Ms. Mahoney was one of only three to graduate. Mahoney began work for the New England Hospital for Women and Children at age 18, laboring 16 hours per day and seven days per week as a washerwoman, maid, and cook, until entering the Hospital’s school at age 33, seeking a nursing degree. owes much to her colossal efforts and achievement.Ī woman with a ferocious work ethic, Ms. Mahoney would spend much of the rest of her life assuring that she would never be unknown to history. Though the exact date of her birth is unknown, Ms. Mary Eliza Mahoney was born in Boston in 1845 to two freed slaves originally from North Carolina. American Literature, 76(2), 233-257.During Black History Month, NAHC will be profiling various African-Americans who have made great contributions to American health care. The Biographical Imperative: Reproductive Politics and Frederick Douglass's Autobiography. The Journal of Negro History, 79(1), 1-19. Women and the Abolitionist Movement in Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass. The Beloved Community: How Faith Shapes Social Justice from the Civil Rights Movement to Today. Frederick Douglass: New Literary and Historical Essays. Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass. Frederick Douglass' "Narrative" and the Readership of the Antebellum North. Martin Delany, Frederick Douglass, and the Politics of Representative Identity. Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, An American Slave. She was inducted into the National Women’s Hall of Fame in 1993. Mahoney was inducted into the ANA’s Hall of Fame in 1976. Today, the Mary Mahoney Award is bestowed biennially by the ANA in recognition of significant contributions in advancing equal opportunities in nursing for members of minority groups. When NACGN merged with the American Nurses Association in 1951, the award was continued. ![]() In recognition of her outstanding example to nurses of all races, the NACGN established the Mary Mahoney Award in 1936. Her grave is located in Woodlawn Cemetery in Everett, Massachusetts. In 1923, Mahoney was diagnosed for breast cancer and battled the illness for 3 years until she died on January 4, 1926, at the age of 80. She actively participated in the advancement of civil rights in the United States.In 1920, after women’s suffrage was achieved in the U.S., Mahoney was among the first women in Boston to register to vote. In retirement, Mahoney was still concerned with women’s equality and a strong supporter of women’s suffrage. After completing these requirements, Mahoney graduated in 1879 as a registered nurse alongside 3 other colleagues - the first black woman to do so in the United States. The last two months of the extensive 16-month long program required the nurses to use their newfound knowledge and skills in environments they were not accustomed to such as hospitals or private family homes. Three quarters of the program consisted of the nurses working within a surgical, maternity or medical ward with six patients they were responsible caring for. The nursing program allowed for the students to earn a weekly wage, ranging from 1 to 4 dollars, after their first two weeks of work. In addition, Mahoney worked for several months as a private-duty nurse. She worked at 5:30 A.M to 9:30 P.M shift which required her to attend lectures and lessons in order to educate herself through the instruction of the doctors. ![]() Mahoneys training required that she spent at least one year in one of the hospitals wards to gain knowledge about nursing. Mahoney worked nearly 16 hours daily for the 15 years that she worked as a laborer. Although Mary did not meet age criteria, her connections to the hospital due to prior work as a cook, maid, and washerwoman when she was 18 years of age, they accepted her. The purpose for the program was to choose 40 women between ages of 21 to 31 to have a good reputation as to character and deposition. The NEHWC was the first institution to offer a program allowing women to work in the healthcare industry. She was admitted into a 16 month program at the New England Hospital for Women and Children at the age of 33 along with 39 others. Mahoney knew that she wanted to become a nurse. ![]()
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